


My Cool Dad is a Fireman

by Torrinidae



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Smut, Fluff and Angst, Homophobic Language, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Prosthesis, Single Parents, Slow Burn, Smut, Strippers & Strip Clubs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-12
Updated: 2018-04-07
Packaged: 2018-08-14 14:35:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 36,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8017759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Torrinidae/pseuds/Torrinidae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack is a single father, working two jobs to make ends meet. His week starts off well enough until one man somehow becomes hell bent on ruining it. And then Hana becomes friends with that man's son. Jack would much rather marry his coffee than spend time with this man, but one things leads to another and Jack finds himself smitten.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Jack had a horrible habit of drinking coffee during every waking hour of the day. One could assume Jack had a caffeine addiction, but Jack would admit more to a dependence. He always smelled like french roast, though, and that was a preferable smell, if you asked Jack. Every time he met with Angela she would always nag him about it.   
  
“Morrison, your hair is nearly white now, I think all that coffee you’re drinking is causing it. Have you been sleeping well? I know you are stressed out, but I really think you should put down the mugs; what about bananas for energy?”   
  
She was a constant barrage of complaints. It’s almost like his own mother had come back from the grave to haunt him. But he didn’t mind too much. Nagging from her meant that everything was okay on the Social Worker’s end, Angela was fine; it meant the government agency wasn’t on his back. It meant no one was trying to take Hana away from him. He could endure coffee complaints if it was the only kind of complaints he was receiving.

So he continued to drink his coffee at dinner. To be fair, he liked it black. Occasionally he would pour in some creamer (usually to make Folgers more tolerable) but his cups were usually black, and low calorie, he might add.. His mug sat hot besides the bowl of fried rice on his side of the table. He stepped over to the table with a second, smaller plate before calling out, “HANA, Dinner time!”

Before he even set the plate down, his little sunshine bounded into the room like a rabbit, giggling excitedly. “Ya! Bokkeumbap!” She cried out as she settled in her seat, smelling her plate with a big grin. Jack’s heart warmed as he saw her little face filled to the brim with happiness. Hana was turning 11 soon, and she was nearly one year closer to middle school. Jack would dread the future; but for now, Hana was still pre-pubescent. With her long brown hair pulled into a loose ponytail to keep it out of face he could see her  beautiful brown eyes gleaming in the kitchen light, almost golden and- What was that on her cheeks.   
  
“Hana, what did you do?” Jack sighed.

“NUTHING,” she immediately backfired. Proof, she knew what was on her face.

“Hana, go to the sink and wash that pink marker off your face. You’re not a cat,” He grabbed her wrist and pulled her up out of the chair before she could pick up her chopsticks.   
  
“Noooo, they aren’t cat whiskers! They’re bunny whiskers!” She cried out in protest, being dragged by her dad to the kitchen sink.   
  
She put on a mean pout but Jack was undeterred. “Up you go,” He warned before hoisting her by the waist so she leaned over the sink.   
  
She let out a noise of irritation but when Jack turned off the faucet, she scooped up the water, begrudgingly, and wiped her face clean.

Jack turned off the water and set Hana down, handing her the kitchen towel. “That’s better, thank you Hana.”

Hana wasn’t that angry at her dad, she quickly forgot about the whole ordeal when she was allowed to dig into her rice. Jack put his phone down on the table and drank his coffee, watching Hana chow down on his cooking. It was a sweet thing, to see the girl he worked hard to raise everyday; to see how she loved his cooking, even if he was unaware of the nuances of Korean cooking when she first came into his life. He had no idea there were different kinds of soy sauce and that it could be cooked with, no idea that there was a difference between red pepper flakes and Korean red pepper flakes (gochugaru.)  Before all this, back when he was a military commander, he had no clue how to raise a fussy Korean girl. But he was determined to do so, and so he did.

He was her dad.  
  
Not her birth dad.  
  
But he was her dad.

After dinner, Jack pulled up a step ladder so Hana could help him with the dishes. Once they had finished “moving the payload,” as Hana liked to call it, they sat down for some TV time. Jack didn’t pay much attention to the cartoon on screen, he just drank his coffee and zoned out. When he pulled his phone out of his sweatpants pocket, it read 7:24. He had to take Hana over to the Wilhelm-Amari’s soon.  
  
“Ready for your sleepover with Fareeha?”  
  
“YEAH! She said her mommy can show me how to beat up people!” The enthusiastic response roused a chuckle from Jack.  
  
“Okay honey, but remember you shouldn’t beat other people up just because you can,” he said, setting his empty mug on the table. Ana would be proud of a response like that. "Come on, up you go, girly. Go get your backpack and pillow.” He stood up and returned to the kitchen to wash his coffee mug and turn off the lights. When he got to the back door of the house, Hana was already there, bouncing up and down, a pink pillow squished between her arms. Jack smiled ear to ear and opened the door, escorting his daughter across the yard to the next house.  
  
The back porch light was already lit up, a couple slightly older than Jack sitting on matching chairs. The man makes his chair look like a kids toy, his body is so enormous. The couple look engrossed in the pleasant evening air and small talk before they spot Jack and Hana.  
  
“Good evening Reinhardt, Ana.” He nods to both of them.   
  
Reinhardt stands and greets Jack but before Jack and step away, he’s swept up into a crushing bear hug between two heavy arms and a large chest. “It’s great to see you,Jack!”  
  
“Great to see you, too, Rein,” Jack coughed out a breath in response.  
  
Ana smiled as Hana hopped up to her side. “Aunty Ana, Aunty Ana, where’s Fareeha? Are you gunna teach me how to beat people up?” Ana chuckles and puts her hand on Hana’s head.  
  
“Fareeha is currently finishing her homework, dear. When she’s done, you can go put your stuff in her room and we can practice some martial arts. But I just pulled some muffins out, fresh from the oven. Would you like one while you wait?” Ana asked, her voice so calming even in her thick accent.  
  
“YAAAAY! Yess please, Aunty Ana!” Hana’s hands flew in the air and turned to her dad. “Kay Dad! You’ll be here for breakfast tomorrow, right?”  
  
Jack removed himself from Reinhardt’s arms and kneeled in front of Hana, pushing a stray hair out of her face. “Yeah, girly, I will. Promise.” Jack smiled as Hana pulled her arms around his neck for a quick hug before following Ana into the house. Jack stood up aware that Reinhardt was still behind him.  
  
“You have more white in your hair than usual, Jack.”

Jack let out a grumble, “Thank you, Rein, but people like it. Makes my blond look lighter.”   
  
“Have you considered finding another Job?”   
  
“This is another Job.” Jack sighed, wishing to leave this conversation.

“Look, Ana and I have talked about it. If you need some help, we can provide it. Both of us work, we have plenty of money-”   
  
“No, I will raise Hana on my own. I like it that way, even if the way that I get there is unconventional.” Jack rubs his temple, turning back towards his own house.

“Jack?” Reinhardt asked softly after Jack started away.

“Yeah?”   
  
“Take care of yourself. Don’t forget you don’t have to raise a kid alone.”   
  
“Thanks,” Jack threw a wave over his shoulder.

Jack returned to his now quiet house and roamed through the dark to his bedroom. The echo of his footsteps in a house without a giggling child was also a bit eerie. He ignored that feeling his his chest and stepped towards his hamper by the closet. He pulled off the tight black shirt and threw it into the bin and dropped his sweatpants as he rummaged through his closet.

The sequined short shorts were tight on his hips and the leather straps around his shoulders were a bit uncomfortable, but sweatpants and hoodies made people none the wiser. His hoodie was a worn blue hoodie, his favorite hoodie that made even the gloomiest of days better. The Red and white rhinestones and sequins adorning the front read in Korean: 큰 아빠. Keun appa, Greatest Dad. Even as a man in his early 40’s, he gladly donned the hoodie. It was a silly thing that fit in with Hana’s sense of style. Which made sense because Hana was the one who lovingly bedazzled it for him.

He slipped on crocs and headed for the garage. Once the house was locked up, he drove out towards the center of town, where his work was.  
  
  


* * *

 

The Fire in the Hole was the gay strip club downtown. It was in an unassuming building, office space stacked above it on the higher floors. The door was inset into the wall, making it easy to miss except for the pride flag hanging a few feet above it. This meant that it was harder for drunk people who didn’t belong to end up in the stripe club on accident.

Jack entered through the back exit in the narrow alley and walked through a short, dark hallway into a changing room. He found his co-worker’s slipping into form-fitting spandex, but he ignored them and moved to the wardrobe. No one really talked much before work, it was always after work when people wanted to talk about the kinds of customers they had to deal with. Jack preferred not to talk at all; he honestly didn’t want to be here, he would rather be at home with Hana. But he also wanted to have a home, and thus, here he was.

His more recent full time job had paid the mortgage and bills, and he was content to work an average desk job. It was not his favorite pastime, but the days of military room and board were gone and so he wasn’t very choosey, so long as the money was fed into his bank account; however, his company had hit a rough spot and after a few rounds of layoffs, he was finally on the chopping block.    
It devastated him.   
  
During the two months he was unemployed, he spent his waking hours taking Hana to and from school and himself to and from interviews. But no one would hire a single father. He was a tired man with inflexible and inconvenient schedules. The places that would offer him work offered him work for next to nothing, like he was a high school senior looking for pocket change. When a social worker came knocking concerned that Hana was not being cared for properly because of her father’s unemployment, he barred Hana and himself in his room and dialed an old military number through burning tears. A long time friend who worked as a social worker in town, the one person who could make the pounding on the door stop.  
  
“Angela,you have to help me.”

“I need you.”

“Please, I’m begging you.”

“Don’t let them do this to Hana.”  
  
“Don’t take her away.”

“I need her.”

Angela saved Hana from being taken by child services, but Jack spent the next week without eating or sleeping in a bed. He kept Hana close while he desperately searched for a job. Hana continued to eat and go to school and be happy, but Jack lost 30 pounds by the time he was hired by a strip club.   
He applied for security work but when he arrived at the interview, they liked his appearance and offered him a starting position as a dancer. It turns out those 30 pounds made a big difference on his waist line, even if it was for all the wrong reasons.

Flexible hours, reasonable wage, good commissions for events and plenty of tips every night.

It was horrible for his esteem. His coworkers loved dancing and making people fawn over them. He, on the other hand, felt used, only useful for his muscles and body shape.  The appeal of being wanted and beautiful were long gone for him.

But the job put food on the table. A roof over Hana’s head.

That’s what mattered.

His self-esteem wasn’t worth much anyway. Being single for so long did that to a man.

Tonight was Mechanic Monday. Honestly, tight denim pants and a wrench were all that were needed to make a stripper into a “Mechanic,” but other strippers felt the need to be Formula 1 mechanics or trucker mechanics. Jack just folded his sweats and hoodie neatly on his table and slipped on a vest and tight jeans that pulled at his ass and groin. He felt too tired to care. He didn’t even have the shame that he used to. This was all an ex-soldier was useful for.

He worked on the floor the first half of the night, bringing customers drinks, having tips stuffed in his pants as he walked by, and getting his butt pinched and slapped. Jack zoned out until it was his time to head to the pole.    
  
The announcer called out to the audience to welcome “The Soldier,” and Jack puffed up his chest, put on a dashing smile and stepped out on stage.  
  
His routine was fairly typical: spin around, caress his chest, slip off the pants with a cheeky smile, spin some more, blow kisses, caress chest, flaunt package, etc. Remember to position ass so that filthy men can ram filthy dollar bills into his sequinned hot pants.

He walked off stage with his pants and vest wadded up under his arm, proceeding to the dressing room to remove the dollars from his unmentionables.  
  
“Jackie, you’re looking good tonight,” the house manager sung out as Jack passed, only to be dismissed with a small noise. “So good, you have a request VIP. Curtain 3 darling, 1 hour, wear something pink,” He called out. Jack groaned and stopped in the hallway to rub his face.  
  
“Tell the customer I’ll be there shortly.” He shot back before returning to the dressing room. He crammed the tips into one of the legs of the sweatpants, shoving them and the hoodie in his locker before changing. He was so close to going home, one more expensive lap dance and he could go home and shower.

Jack pulled on a new set of stage clothes. A pink set of panties, garters, and harness. Jack had put things into perspective while he pulled on a pair of knee high boots and a leather jacket. Get some extra tips out of a one hour session, he could treat Hana to some ice cream and new clothes. It had been a while.

The privacy rooms were in a row in the back of the club; a security guard leaned against the wall adjacent to the rooms, fingers looped in his belt in boredom. All the rooms were all closed by a curtain so there was no true privacy. It was a form of safety for the dancers, the security guard could stop any perverts from trying anything on the strippers.

Jack pushed curtain 3 aside and stepped in. In the dim light, Jack could make out the chair, the music player in the corner, and a man standing admiring a poster. At least, he was distracting himself with a poster advertising the different special events coming up. He was about Jack’s height with alluring dark skin under tight black clothes. Jack had to admire the lines of his strong back, the loose, unkempt curls on top of his head, and the more clean cut nape of his neck. The man turned to see Jack and shot him a devious grin. “Ah, buenas noches,” he stepped over towards Jack, eyeing the boots and the Jacket, seeing where the pink peeked from underneath.

“Good evening, what can I do for you today?” Jack asked in his most sultry voice as he stepped forward, meeting the man in the middle. Jack could better see the man’s features: his chin and jawline were sculpted by dark brunette hairs, a mustache and goatee perfectly framed the man’s, slightly scarred, yet perfectly bowed lips.

The man hummed and devoured Jack’s figure with his eyes. “So many things, cariño. How about you give me a little show first?”   
  
Jack eyed the man as he stepped away. “Of course, sir. But please, don’t call me things I can’t understand.”

“What can I call you then. While ‘Soldier’ is a cute show name, I’m not about to call you that,” the man practically purred as he stepped over to the chair.  
  
“Jack.”

“Jack, hm?” It was as if the man was trying to inquisit him as he stepped over and turned up the volume on the music. Once Jack returned to the man, he seated and leaning against the back of the large chair, posture quite relaxed. Jack danced to the music, slowly and precisely, playing with the zipper on his jacket. He turned around as he slipped the jacket off his shoulders so he didn’t have to see the way the man’s eyes bored into his skin.

The jacket fell to the floor, revealing Jack’s backside. In black heels, his toned ass was even more accented by the pink panties and garter belts that squeezed at the top of his thighs. His hard upper back was crossed with pink patent leather straps. Jack swayed to the music, circling his hips slowly. A hand came up to rest on his waist as he continued.  
  
Jack finally turned around and faced the man who was clearly enchanted by Jack’s performance already. “How’s about a lap dance, beautiful?” The man’s voice rumbled low in the pit of his stomach. Jack held back a shiver as he braced the man’s legs with his own, circling his hips closer now. Pink traced his cheek bones, mostly hidden in the dim light as Jack reached out to grab the man’s shoulder. The man hummed and set his other hand on one of Jack’s thighs. “Seeing you work that pole, I knew I needed to see you up close, Jack,” the man murmured as he rubbed circles into Jack’s waist.

Jack’s eyelids fluttered as he opened his mouth slightly, breathing in air to cut off a moan that was trying to escape free. “I’m sure you say that about every stripper you meet.”

“Just the pretty ones,” the man whispered out as Jack pressed himself against his body.

“Do you come here often then?” Jack huffed out as he set one knee on the chair beside the man’s thigh.

“Ah, I’m afraid it’s my first time. It’s been over a decade since I last went to a strip club, let alone a gay club,” the man admitted as his hand on Jack’s thigh moved down to the leather covered knee on the chair.   
  
“Interesting,” Jack chuckled, “What made you break your routine, hm?” Jack feigned a smile and interest.

“Ah, nothing much,” the man shrugged off as he watched Jack’s hips move against his own hips. “Wife left me.”  
  
Jack’s movements halted slightly but the man’s hands continued rubbing into his skin. It was like the man hadn’t just admitted to the emotional turmoil of divorce.

The man just laughed and smirked, “It’s okay, she was a bitch anyway. I discovered 5 years in I wasn’t interested much in women anyway.”

“A-ah, I see,” Jack tried to get himself back into dancing, removing himself just enough to turn around and lean down so his ass was in the man’s face.

The man slapped Jack’s ass with a bemused snicker. “Stay single. Relationships are a mess and raising a kid is hard,” the man offered to Jack. Jack bit back a harder response and settled with just continuing to grind his ass into the man.

The dance continued until the man had decidedly finished with it, pulling Jack to just sit in his lap as they talked nonchalantly. For most customers, a private session was not just sexual, and this man was no different. Jack let the man talk about the stress of working and raising a kid. The man just aired his troubles but casually rested his hands on Jack’s waist; sometimes he rubbed small circles with his fingers into Jack’s skin or roamed lightly over Jack’s stomach- soft, intimate touches almost fondly. Jack ignored it and remained mostly silent. He did not tell the man that he had a child of his own. Despite how often he let customers confide in him, he never trusted a single one to do the reverse. When Jack asked about the man’s job, he glossed over it and returned to talking about how he found himself in a straight relationship and suddenly not entirely straight.   
  
Apparently the man had met this girl in Mexico and they hit it off, becoming great friends while he stayed in Mexico for work. When it came time to move back to the states, he offered to marry her so she could ditch her awful family and get a quick green card.   
  
When they eloped back to the states, she decided she wanted a kid and he was fine enough with providing. They had a kid (Jack figures this kid must be about Hana’s age then) and everything went well until she started acting crazy. She was upset about living in America and upset that the man wasn’t giving her more- she had felt sexually ignored. Apparently the man did his best to keep the strain a secret from his son but a few months ago he came home with his son to find the house empty. She had taken her stuff and left divorce papers on the table. The suddenness affected his son the most, but the man was hoping that moving to a new city would do good for the boy’s mental health.

The session ended and Jack removed himself from the man’s lap as he fished out his wallet. Jack stood in the room holding a wad of cash as the man quietly walked out.

Jack realized he had never asked his name.

Jack stood there for some time before he flipped through his newly acquired bills. An hour session VIP was $240, but Jack was staring at a whopping $500. For a single dad, this guy must have been loaded to drop $500 on an hour.

Well, Jack was not about to complain.

He left the private room and walked back to the changing room, filled with the other dancers who cleaning up for the night. Jack hurriedly tucked the cash away and threw his dance clothes into the bin to be washed. Sweatpants (commando, because he was not about to put back on those sequinned hot pants), hoodie, and crocs dawned, Jack bolted out the door, his hand wrapped around the ball of money in his pocket.

His drive home was uneventful and as soon as he was in his house with the door locked, Jack let out a cry of relief. He was home. The first thing Jack did was slump on the couch and sort the money. His pay check was this Friday and with the tips today, he had plenty of money to pay both his car payment and his mortgage, and that didn’t even account the rest of work for the week. He could definitely treat his little girl this weekend with a trip to the mall. Maybe even the anime store down the road. He didn’t have work tomorrow night, parent teacher conference, but if he made some big tips on Wednesday and Friday, he could buy Hana a few new packs of magic cards too. The new school year had started and she deserved some new stuff besides school supplies. Once Jack had carefully put away some of the cash in a lock-box to store under his bed and filed the rest away in his wallet, he headed to the shower.

The alarm clock read 4 AM when he came into the bedroom with boxers and wet hair. He could reasonably get in 2 hours of sleep before he dragged himself to Ana and Reinhardt’s for breakfast.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for such a great response to the first chapter, it's so rewarding since I've already put a lot of effort into this fic. I really hope ya'll enjoy this chapter (despite what's to come to our main man, Jack.) -Torrin

The morning was filled with laughter and chatter. Ana and Reinhardt had made no remarks towards Jack as he got up to fill his cup with his third round of coffee, nor even eye’d his cup as he sat back down with it already half gone. Hana and Fareeha were giggling between mouthfulls of pancakes and strawberries. Reinhardt always made sweet but nutritious meals for the girls while he cooked up the adults some tex-mex omelettes. Jack finished off his last bit of salsa and eggs on toast before leaning back to focus on his coffee. Ana looked towards him as he happily watched the girls laugh about the movie they had watched last night.

“You seem happy, Jack. Work was good to you last night?” Ana says as she drinks her cup of water.

“Yeah, earned some good money last night,” he replied.

“Good, that’s a decent start to the week then?”

“Yeah, we’ll see how the conference goes tonight, though.”   
  
“Ah, I’m sure it will be fine,” Ana said before setting her glass down. “Ok girls, finish up your breakfasts and go get your backpacks, Jack’s ready to walk you bothh to the bus stop.”  
  
“Ok mommy!” Fareeha smiled sweetly. She helped Hana put the plates in the sink before they ran upstairs to her room. When they returned, Jack led them out to walk down the street. The bus stop was a bit far from their houses, so- with the girls still too young for the parents’ nervous brains- the parents took turns walking them all the way out.

They left their small community block and headed towards a set of new, fancy condominiums. The condos were about a year old now, and since they were built, the bus schedule changed up to include them, therefore removing the stop that used to sit at the front of Jack’s community. He didn’t complain much though, it wasn’t a big deal to him like it was to many other enraged parents.

Most parents usually sat with their kids at the bus stop but today a single kid stood at the stop, sans parental units. He wore a red shirt and tan cargo pants; he was a fairly standard kid except for the prosthetic arm, hand shoved in his pocket, and the worn cowboy hat atop ruffled brunette hair. Okay that was odd.

Jack stood with the girls, coffee mug still in hand, like he was married to it. If he married this cup of coffee, would he receive a tax break for filing a joint return? God he wished.

The bus rolled up and all three kids hopped onto the bus. Once he saw the girls off, he headed back to Ana and Reinhardt. They cleaned and chatted before Jack returned to his own house. Reinhardt would be attending the parent teacher conference this year, so at least Jack could chat with him during the parent meet and greet bullshit. Fareeha, however, was two years older, so the girls were not in the same class or the same gym or art groups. Perhaps when they got to high school, there would be classes the girls could take together.

Jack pulled on a tight black undershirt and a pair of baggy gym shorts. He looked at his phone for the time. He could get into work early and get another cup of coffee in before he had to do inventory. Finding his crocs at the front door, he slipped them on on his way to the car.

With that, he was off, headed to his real job.

* * *

 

The Parent Teacher Conference was always a dreadful experience. All the kids running around excitedly, meeting with pretentious teachers who you wished weren’t teaching your children. Sometimes you met some good parents and other times you realized where the crazy in the kids came from.

Jack and Reinhardt were early and split ways to go to their separate teachers. With Hana in toe, he headed to Ms. Oxton’s 5th grade classroom. 

“GOOD EVENING LUVS!” Jack’s ears were immediately slaughtered with a high pitched cry as Hana ran up to excitedly meet her teacher.  
  
“Ms. Oxton!!!”

“Little Miss Hana Song! How is my little calavary doing?” The teacher bent over as she conversed with Jack’s daughter. She had quite the thick English accent.   
  
“Great!”  
  
“Fantastic,” the woman responded with a big smile.

Jack stood by the door before Hana turned and waved. “Daddy, this is my seat over here!”

Jack smiled and walked over; however, Ms. Oxton stepped in the way to greet Jack. “Good evening, Mr…. Song?” asked him, hesitantly, looking at the name tag on Jack’s shirt and back to Hana at her desk.  
  
“No, sorry. My last name is Morrison,” he offered, extending his hand to shake hers. Ms. Oxton flipped through her papers on her clipboard for a few seconds before looking back up at him, ignoring his hand.   
  
“Oh, I’m sorry, are you her guardian?”   
  
It stings every time.

“Father. Doesn’t the school have her record properly recorded?” Jack sighed, trying not to sound irritated. “Look, Miss… I am her father, we don’t need to clarify my status, or why our names are different. Please,” he begs.  
  
The face he gets in return is the face he’s seen several times before. The one that asks how much of the month he gets custody of the girl. But Ms. Oxton quickly scribbles something down on her clipboard and smiles. “Thank you Mr. Morrison.”   
  
He simply nodded and walked over to Hana, who was chatting with the kid next to her. He recognized the boy as Hanzo Shimada. He was alone, which made sense because his mother was probably supervising his younger brother in a 4th grade class. Hanzo sat at his desk in a shirt covered in Japanese symbols, a pair of dark jeans and a new pair of Adidas. His hair was clean cut even if it was long. Hana and Hanzo were talking about a new video game that had just come out in Japan. Jack sat in the seat provided for him behind Hana, he gazed into her desk and scowled. “Hana…”   
  
“What?” She turned to look at her dad. Jack scowled more and bent over to reach into the desk, rummaging passed the books. As he did, he heard the door open and parents walk in to be greeted by Ms.Oxton.

Jack retrieved a pack of bubble gum and a bottle of Mountain Dew. “What do you think you are doing with these?”   
  
“W-what? Those aren’t mine!” Hana panicked.

“You’re right, because they aren’t anymore. No gum at school and NO soft drinks!” He left to toss them in the trash. When he returned to a pouting Hana, he noticed a cowboy hat. The kid from the bus stop this morning. He was sitting besides a large man, but Jack only saw his backside so didn’t know if he recognized the man. He shrugged and sat back down with Hana.   
“No more sweets, kiddo. Daddy was going to buy you ice cream this weekend, don’t make me take that back.” He rubbed her scalp and she frowned.

“I’m sorry, dad.”   
  
“Forgiven, girly.” He smiled. He’s not sure how much she meant it and for how long she’d go before trying to swindle drinks and snacks to school, but at least he could have small wins.

The rest of the parents filed in and Ms. Oxton began rattling off about school activities, plays, field trips, and the like. Jack zoned out for most of the talk, distracted by the cowboy hat in front of him. Why a cowboy hat?

Finally the teacher finished her yapping and looked at the clock. “Oh would you look at the time! Alright kids, we are all going to walk over to the auditorium for a short school assembly while the parents have a meet and greet. Then you’ll all come back here and go meet your gym and art teachers.” She was way too peppy for Jack’s taste. Accounting for her attitude and the way she addressed him previously, Jack reached the assumption that she had just graduated from college. This is probably her first job, so starry eyed and hopeful, a novice at wrangling children.

Hanzo and Hana followed together out the door and Jack remained seated as the rest of the parents started to stand and stretch. The man who was sitting next to mini cowboy stood and cracked his neck. Jack admired the man’s backside and thighs for a few seconds before he turned around to look at the rest of the parents. Jack’s eyes went wide.

It was the man from last night.

Jack was hesitant, wondering if the man would recognize him. His eyes scanned the man’s body to find the name tag on his chest.  _ Gabriel Reyes _ . Jack was about to pull his eyes away but it was too late, they made eye contact. God, he wished Reinhardt’s big body could be here to provide cover.

“You,” Gabriel gritted out between his teeth.

“Me?” Jack asked awkwardly, remaining seated.

“What are you doing here?” Gabriel sneered, eyeing Jack, eyes following the name tag on Jack’s own shirt. “Your name really is Jack?”  
  
“Eh, John technically but-” Jack’s legs itched to run. The guy who was happy to throw money at him last night did not look so happy, tonight.

Gabriel stormed up to him, Jack quickly removing himself from the chair and keeping his space from the man. “What are you doing here?” He repeated, more aggravated this time.Other parents were turning their heads. Not good.  
  
“My kid, Hana. She goes to school here,” Jack calmly stated. 

“Who gave a faggot a child?” Gabriel stepped into Jack’s space and Jack stepped back until his foot found a wall. Jack winced. He’s had bad experiences meeting customers in public, but never had it escalated like this, and it never made sense to him. Why would a person who paid $500 to have a private session with you be so angry to see that you existed outside the club.

“Look, man, I just want to be a good father, and I’m sure you do to-”  
  
“How can a slut like you be a good father? You should have left her with her mother!” Gabriel shouted and Jack recoiled again.  Jack wasn’t sure how the other parents were taking this interaction, but he couldn’t imagine it would be good for Hana. And he was certain telling the whole room her mother was dead wouldn’t look good on her either.

“Please, I’m just trying to provide for her, calm down.” Jack put his hands up.

“Does she know where that money has been, huh?” 

_ What? from your wallet?  _ Jack’s mind provided. “Just, stop, please,” Jack begged. “I’m just a man who works multiple jobs to make ends meet for my girl.”

“Men like you are terrible influences on children, you should be ashamed. That girl is going to grow up disturbed because of you.” Gabriel spat out. No one was going to help Jack. No doubt they were reading between the lines. Jack felt the space in the room shrink, his environment close in on him.

Jack’s heart ached. He was usually stronger than this- he's been stronger than this since high school- but the words Gabriel threw at him hurt. They burned. The air around him burned. Jack just wanted to run. Jack said nothing, he couldn’t say anything.

“Stay. Away. From. My. Kid. You sicko.” Gabriel finished before turning and walking out of the room.

Jack stared as he left, the other parents watching. None of them did anything. Of course no one did. Jack stood for a while against the wall until everyone turned away to whisper amongst themselves. Jack took a deep breath before slowly moving back over to his chair. He slumped there, head in his hands.

By the time the kids returned, Jack had assumed a strong posture once again, even if he was hurting on the inside. He noticed that the cowboy kid had also left, presumably his dad had found him on their way back and taken off. Ms. Oxton looked happy; however, so perhaps Gabriel didn’t spit on her on the way out.

The rest of the night progressed and when he and Hana met back up with Reinhardt and Fareeha, Jack let out a sigh of relief. He could go home. Fareeha and Hana gossiped about their classes in the back of the car while Reinhardt drove. 

“Everything ok, Jack?”

“Ah, yeah,” Jack lied. He knew Reinhardt would drop it and wouldn’t prod more like his wife. Both of them always knew when Jack was unwell, but only Ana demanded answers. Reinhardt respected his silence.

They drove the rest of the way home, the girls a pleasant white noise in the back.

Jack and Hana walked into their house. It was 8 PM, meaning Hana could have an hour of video games before bed. Hana ran over to startup the computer as Jack got changed into a pair of shorts and his favorite “greatest dad” hoodie. He sat on the couch with a cup of water and watched as Hana sat at the computer, opening up battle.net. The computer was set up in the living room so he could watch her play. He liked to be involved with her interests but he also wanted to make sure she was acting appropriately online. He didn’t helicopter, but he would know if she was swearing at people on Starcraft. 

Jack slumped against the couch, mentally exhausted. He had such a long day after only two hours of sleep. Mr. Reyes’s anger was like the cherry on top of a shit sundae. And it was only Tuesday. He finished off his cup of water and rubbed his face. He relaxed into the couch as Hana played video games for about 30 minutes. During those 30 minutes of keyboard types and mouse clicks, his mind swirl into a spiral, singing back hateful words. The same words Reyes used, the ones he’s heard countless times over since he came out as gay, since he left the military, since he found himself stripping. He didn’t notice Hana get up from the computer until she was climbing onto the couch. “Daddy? Are you ok?” Jack looked up and saw her. She looked so concerned. Suddenly his mind stopped, the words silenced, his heart warmed.

“Ah, I’m tired and upset, girly.” He sighed, unable cover up his feelings in front of his daughter. He didn’t want her to lie, and her behaviors started with him.

“Did you have a bad day?” She asked so innocently.

“Yeah,” he let out again. Suddenly, Hana was there, in his lap, arms wrapped around his waist, cheek pressing into the bedazzled hoodie. Jack nearly cried, wondering what he did to deserve such an angel.   
  
“It’s okay Daddy. Bad days are just days that are bad.” 

Okay, Jack was probably crying a bit.

He wrapped his own arms around her, pulling her tight and propping his head atop her’s. “Thank you, Hana,” he said, trying not to let his voice crack and failing. He adopted Hana because she needed a parent. He rescued her from a bad situation, but everyday she rescues him. He needs her on nights like these.

They stayed like that until he felt her breathing slow, a distinct soft snort come from her mouth as she dozed. He carefully scooped her up and carried her to bed. By the time they got to her room, she was awake again and rubbing her eyes. Jack set her down on her Captain America bed spread. “Come on girly, get in your pjs and go to bed.” He walked over to her dresser and pulled out her bunny pjs, a pair of purple shorts with a pink tank top with a ironed on bunny logo. He handed them to her and turned on the night light as she got dressed and put her clothes in the hamper. When he finished tucking her in, he made sure to place a kiss on her forehead. “Good night, Hana. Sleep well.”   
“Sleep well, Daddy” She smiled sleepily up at him before cuddling with her Captain America Tsum Tsum. He stepped out of the room and turned off the light.

Jack headed back to the living room, turning off the computer and cleaning up his water glass. He made it through the day, despite the circumstances. He could survive tomorrow. In a few days the week will be behind him and he can go shopping with Hana and buy her new clothes.


	3. Chapter 3

After his son left the condo, Gabriel stood with his coffee on the balcony, feet bare on the wood, sweatpants, hoodie, and beanie covering the rest of his body. He didn’t usually watch his son stand at the bus stop, but Gabriel needed a cigarette and had time to spare this morning. As he lit up, he saw an older woman with two girls in toe behind her. He recognized the smaller girl but he didn’t recall from where.

“Jesse! Pew pew pew!” the smaller girl called out as she dashed up. Jesse pointed finger guns back at the girl and laughed.

“Pew pew pew to you too, Hana,” Jesse said with a tip of his hat _. Hana_. That was that Jack’s kid. He squinted as he huffed at his cigarette. Was that woman his wife then? That didn’t make any sense to Gabriel.

“Hana, is this your friend?” The woman asked.

“Yeah! This is Jesse! He’s in my class, aunty Ana.” Aunt, that made more sense. Gabriel pulled the smoke from his mouth and breathed out a sigh, grey exiting his lips in a soft puff. He should have told Jesse to stay away from this girl. Too late it seems. God save her soul.

God save his own soul.

Gabriel had been struggling for years trying to overcome the shit going through his head, and the recent developments of divorce and moving were extra stress on top of the identity crisis he suffered. When the bus picked up the kids, Gabriel put out the butt in the ashtray and walked back inside. He had work to do.

Today was mostly sorting out paperwork since he was between jobs. He had multiple contracts to work on and files to sort. He used to cringe at the desk aspect of his job, but since having a child (over a decade ago now) and more recently becoming a single father, he moved away from the front lines of his work and come to embrace the desk job, even if still begrudgingly. Contract work wasn’t that horrible from a distance, especially when the pay was still amazing.

Gabriel locked himself in his office and settled in his computer chair, coffee placed on a coaster. His computer sat to one side of the desk, with an ashtray to the left, and his paper shredder positioned right below. The on the other side of the desk sat a few cabinets. Other than that, his desktop was clean, pens propped in a cup and office supplies stored away in their proper cubbies.

It was the same for the rest of the Reyes household. Everything was cleaned and sorted, and if something was used, it was never left out. Jesse was a good kid too; Gabriel and his ex-wife had brought him up to respect his toys and put them away before dinner. It meant that Jesse took to wearing his cowboy hat after he finished playing cowboy and robber with his stuffed dragon because he didn’t want to put it back in the closet. But it had made Jesse happy, so Gabriel never complained, even when his ex-wife did. She was a bitch anyway.

Gabriel sipped at his coffee as he started up the computer. He opened the top cabinet and pulled out three folders, placing them neatly on the table for his work to go through for the morning.

It took a few hours longer than expected for him to finish those three folders. It was nearly 2 PM when he finally shredded the last paper and set the empty folders aside. It turns out his mind was still on Jack. God, he didn’t want it to be. Every time he heard that name ring in his head, he had buried his nose deeper in text, trying to flush it out with more words.  
  
Finally, Gabriel gave up, leaning back in his chair and pulling out his carton of cigarettes. He eyed the measly few remaining and cursed to himself with a furrowed brow. He should not have picked smoking back up, it was a terrible habit, and it was also a terrible habit to finish a carton in two days. He lit up one before placing the carton on the desk, eyes wondering upwards. He never smoked in the house save for his office, where Jesse was not allowed, so Gabriel felt safe poisoning only himself.  
  
He thought about how recently he took back up smoking, thinking of that at least to distract himself from Jack. He had quit when his then-wife was pregnant. He wanted to be a good family member, and even if he didn’t care much for his own health, he was quite protective of family. He wouldn’t be a good father if he let his kid develop lung cancer through no fault of their own.

He had been good about it, he had put down the cigarettes for a decade. But recently he found himself itching to light things on fire. Moving was difficult for Jesse, Being alone in bed at night was difficult for himself, and Work alone was a stress. He figured a cigarette burned instead of his house was a more reasonable trade.  
  
“God, I’m still bad at anger management,” he said, not really to God, himself, or really anyone in particular.

He took a long huff and set down the fresh cigarette on an ashtray.

His mind wandered to Jack again, but this time he didn’t stop it.

How could a man take care of a child and work as a sex worker? Especially if that child was a young girl. Gabriel couldn’t imagine that any of that was good for a child’s mentality. Gabriel imagined that Jack must also be a drug addict, or some sort of demented pervert. There was no way he could be treating that poor girl properly.

He’d seen enough of the sex industry during his contract work to know the kinds of things perverts like Jack got up to. He would never want Jesse to be exposed to those kinds of things. He wanted Jesse to have a good life, carefree of the dark underbelly of society.

Gabriel shouldn’t have even gone to that strip club to begin with. Amélie’s idea was stupid and he should have known to begin with.  
  
Gabriel stood up and stretched before leaving the room, slamming the door shut with a loud rattle before locking it.

He walked down to the first floor of the condo, heading to the living room. There was a fireplace sitting in the corner with a large ledge. Atop the ledge was probably the messiest place in the Reyes household. Above the fireplace and ledge was a picture of Jesus, perhaps a small picture, but it stood above everything else.Three prayer candles sat in front of the picture among of a litany of smaller candles, the center candle being the Scared Heart of Jesus, with the Virgin Mary and an Angel to each side. To the left of the candles sat a bible draped with rosary beads and a St. Joseph statue, his pray card tucked underneath. On the right was a small urn and a more dusty sepia-tone picture of a young woman, “Juliana Reyes” scribbled underneath.

Gabriel didn’t bother to light any of the candles today, instead he picked up the bible and beads. It was too much effort to get Jesse out of bed on Sundays, but Gabriel would not shame his mother, he studied verses and prayed when he could. Some days it felt wrong, and today definitely felt that way. He felt too angry and too wrong in his soul.

He cleared his mind, eyelids lowering with his chin. He prayed to Jesus to keep Jesse safe, as he did everyday. He prayed to God that happiness would stay, as he did everyday. He prayed to the Saints that he would find love again, as he did everyday. Finally he murmured to himself, barely above a whisper. “Forgive me father, I have been angry and harsh. I have strayed the path again. I pray you forgive me and lead me in the right direction.”

He stayed there, head bowed in front of his fireplace for some time, contemplating and relaxing at the same time.

However, he was rudely pulled from his meditations when he heard a screeching beeping fill the house. He was also very suddenly aware of the smell of ash and smoke.  
  
“MIERDA!” He dropped the beads and book and dashed upstairs. He tried to pull the door to his office in a panic he nearly forgot he had locked the door.

He could see smoke pour from the bottom of the door as he fumbled with the keys.  Once the door was thrown open, he could see the source of the smoke. During Gabriel’s burst of anger at the door previously, the rattling had shook the cigarette he left burning right off the ashtray. It only needed to travel a short distance to roll off the edge of the desk and into the paper shredder. During Gabriel’s praying, not only had his paper caught fire but so too had the shredder itself. The smell of burning electrical parts and plastic filled his nose.  
  
“SHITSHITSHITSHITSHIT!” He screamed, cupping his mouth with his hand as he dashed down to the kitchen. He pulled out the fire extinguisher and dashed back up the stairs.

During the time he fumbled with the extinguisher (he was clearly better at starting fires then putting them out), to when he finally put out the fire, The blaze had taken up most of the desk, ruined his computer, and marred the walls, ceiling, and carpet. He dropped the can and leaned back against the clean wall, coughing up smoke. He barely noticed the sounds of a banging door and the sound of people beyond the wailing of the smoke detector.  
  
He saw yellow pants more than he registered someone standing in front of him. When had he fallen to the floor? He was pulled up by the arms before a mask was placed overtop of his face, held there while he was nearly dragged from the room. Within a few seconds Gabriel better understood what was happening, his lungs inhaling real oxygen instead of plastic fumes and smoke. He stumbled out of the condo with the help of the firefighter who tugged Gabriel’s arm around his shoulder. Once he was outside, he was carefully put down on the curb of the sidewalk.

Gabriel looked up to see the bright red fire engine as several firefighters stood and conversed. He saw a few other people standing outside: his neighbors who were evacuated from their own condos.  
  
It dawned on Gabriel that he had nearly died of smoke inhalation. Fuck, how stupid could Gabriel get?  He caused a fire by leaving a cigarette lit in an ashtray. Gabriel stood with his head cupped in his hands, cursing silently into his palms. He pulled the beanie from his head and ruffled his curls in frustration. All the anger of the day suddenly pulled back in on himself.

“Mr. Reyes, is it?” He heard the voice standing before him, and Gabriel contemplated for a moment not pulling his face away from his beanie where it was currently buried. But Gabriel looked up.

He should have kept his face down in the beanie.

Standing in front of him was like a reoccurring nightmare. Jack stood in a yellow firefighter suit, hat pulled off his pale blond locks and stuffed under his armpit. Jack’s face was stern, which was a stark contrast to the previous expressions Gabriel saw of him: sultry and scared. Gabriel realized he hadn’t responded to a question until Jack continued again.  
  
“Mr. Reyes. I just pulled you from your home. There was a garbage fire in your office, correct? It seems you were able to put it out, but only just… How did the garbage fire start?”

Were Gabriel more himself, he would make a comment such as _when I first saw your ugly mug_ but all those died in favor of _I am the garbage fire_ , but even that died on his tongue. He just stood there, awe struck that the man he had chewed out yesterday was standing in front of him, _a firefighter._ “I… Uh…”    
  
Jack sighed and called over another fire fighter. “Rein, check his condition” Jack stepped away to converse with someone else as Gabriel was set back down on the curb by a massive wall of a man.

Gabriel zoned out at the man checked his pulse, respiration, and body for signs of bleeding or injuries.

“Anyone else living with you?” The man asked casually.  
  
“My son’s at school,” he managed weakly.

The firefighter smiled.  “He’s doing just fine, Jack,” he called out before leaving Gabriel’s side. Gabriel watched as Jack directed a few men to go back into the condo. Jack walked over and kneeled before Gabriel.  
  
“Alright Mr. Reyes. My boys are going to assess the damages and clear out your rooms of smoke so you can safely go back inside. They can help you clean out any damaged property. Do you need to report an incident?” Jack asked calmly.

Gabriel stared at him for several seconds, trying to comprehend that this man was a stripper and also a fireman. Gabriel let out a shaky breath, “I… No-I-Uh-I,” he stopped and took a deep breath. “I started the fire. I left a cig lit and it fell…”

Jack nodded. “Well, I suppose that’s between you and your homeowner's insurance if you need anything.” Jack stood and was turning to go before Gabriel jumped up and grabbed his wrist. Jack looked to Gabriel silently, waiting for Gabriel to say something.

They shared a silent moment before Gabriel stumbled upon his words. “I’m sorry. I hadn’t realized you- uh… I didn’t think Y- I was an ass. I’m sorry,” he finally settled on the words as he bit his own tongue.

Jack smiled. It was like a ray of sunshine, striking Gabriel with an odd sense of warmth. “It’s understandable, you didn’t know.” With that, Jack walked away, leaving Gabriel to himself.

Jack was right, Gabriel didn’t know. It felt empty. Gabriel’s assery was not forgiven.

Just. Understandable.  
  
 

* * *

  
  
Jesse sat on the top of the jungle gym, head propped up on his knees, hat covering his eyes from the sun. His one hand was holding onto to the bars as he tucked his plastic hand against his stomach. The other kids from his home room ran by his lonely throne, kick balls in hand. He felt like he didn’t fit in. It was 5th grade so most of the kids in his class already had friends, most of them having known each other their entire lives. Which was fine by Jesse because he didn’t want to be friends with them anyway. Especially if they were going to make fun of him for having a fake hand. He had already heard whispers in the new classroom.

Instead, his eyes fell upon a much smaller group of kids who sat on the playground fort. Three kids who sat cross legged laughing and talking. The first was the one he knew the most, Hana. Hana was the first to talk to Jesse, smiling and asking him all about his cowboy hat. He already liked her and he hoped she liked him.

But the guy sitting next to him was the exact opposite to Hana. Jesse was pretty sure he was the smartest kid in school. Hanzo. That was a cool name. Jesse wished he was nearly as smart as that kid was. Jesse didn’t know who the 3rd person was. Someone with green hair? That couldn’t be real, could it?

Jesse tipped his head down to stare down at the water gun tucked against his chest, which he had pilfered into school. It was filled up and ready, but Jesse still didn’t know any other kids who wanted to play with him during recess, so he fiddled with the toy alone until he worked up enough courage to climb back down the jungle gym.  
  
Hana was nice, maybe she would include him in on the small group they had. But he couldn’t just walk up and say hi. That was too scary.  
  
Hana scrunched her face at the cards in front of her. “I should have mulliganed at the start,” she sighed before tapping 2 mountain cards and placing down a spell card. “Lightning bolt for 3. End my turn, Genji?”

Hanzo marked down the loss of points as Genji untapped his cards, “Come on Hana, it’s okay that you aren’t drawing every forest in your deck.”  
  
“Definitely not okay, I have all these elves I can’t play,” Hana scowls.

“IT’S HIGH NOON. BANG BANG BANG!” Hana let out a yelp as a spray of water hit her back. Hanzo and Genji were both hit on their sides with a second and third spray. Jesse stood at the stairs, a big, goofy grin on his face, one hand still on the now empty water gun.

Hana giggled once she realized who it was. “Oh! Hi Jesse!” Genji looked confused before reaching down for his cards, panicked that his cards were ruined.  
  
Hanzo, on the other hand, looked furious. He immediately stood up and stomped over to Jesse. “You think that’s funny?” Jesse tried to respond, but was cut off as Hanzo stomped closer, “we were having fun, and now their cards are ruined. That was mean! APOLOGIZE TO MY FRIEND AND BROTHER.” Jesse backed away, looking confused and upset. He didn’t mean to ruin anything.  
  
Hana immediately scrambled to her feet, “Hey! Hanzo!” She grabbed his shirt from the back. “It’s ok, the cards are in card sleeves! I thought it was funny. It was funny, right Genji.”  
  
Genji looked up. “My cards are fine, yeah,” he shrugged.  
  
Hana smiles. “See, it’s fine, Hanzo!”  
  
Jesse stood there, bewildered. “I-I’m sorry.”  
  
Hana looks to Jesse and hops up to him, “Come on! Don’t be. Hey, have ya ever played Magic?”  
  
“No? I don’t know nothing about being a wizard.”  
  
Hana laughed, “No! Magic the Gathering. Here, I’ll show you! I brought an extra deck! It’s fun!” She grabs Hanzo and Jesse’s sleeves, tugging them over to Genji. Genji was happy to have another person to play with who wouldn’t beat him every round, but Hanzo gave Jesse a stink eye for the rest of recess. Jesse pretended Hanzo wasn’t mad at him; he wished Hanzo wasn’t mad at him.

* * *

 

****Jack stood at the bus stop, passing the time with his phone. He was able to get off work early, so he could actually be here when Hana’s bus got here. It felt a bit awkward to stand in front of the condos, seeing as he was recently here handling a garbage fire. A fire created by a man who had conflicting feelings about Jack.

However, Jack’s ponderings were interrupted by the bus pulling up. Hana was the first to hop off, giggling with the boy behind her. Hana bubbled up with happiness to see her dad, dashing up and tugging his pant leg into a hug. “Daddy! You’re here!”  
  
“Yes I am, girly,” Jack said, exchanging smiles with her as he pulled her close.  
  
“OH! Daddy, this is my new friend, Jesse!” Hana said, pointing to the boy before them.

Jesse suddenly felt nervous, being on the spot, but he waved prosthetic hand. “Hiya! I’m Jesse Reyes.”  
  
Jack faltered for a second. This was Gabriel’s child. Jack was suddenly not excited to meet this kid, but he smiled anyway. “Nice to meet you, Jesse. Hope to see you again, soon,” no he didn’t. Jack held Hana’s hand and walked across the street, back home as Jesse proceeded to walk to the condos. Hana turned back to wave him off but soon she was skipping beside Jack, bubbly as ever.  
  
“Alright, girly. I got work again tonight. Get your homework done before dinner and then we have free time before you go to Fareeha’s, alright?”

"YAY! What’s for dinner, Daddy?”  
  
“Mac n’ cheese n' peas.”  
  
“YUCK, peas! They’re so GROSS.” Hana’s face scrunched up as she tugged on Jack’s hand.

“If you eat them fast, they will be less gross,” Jack laughed.

  

* * *

   
  
Hana sat in Jack’s lap after dinner. Jack knew that having two jobs meant that Jack had less time to spend with her, so he appreciated every moment with her, even the smallest ones. Which meant that sitting on the couch, sipping coffee, while Hana ran his ear off was still special to him.  
  
“And Jesse had snuck up behind us while we were playing and he was like ‘IT’S HIGH NOON!’ and he held up his water gun and went ‘BANG BANG BANG’ and it was funny because it was just water and it was cool,” she continued on without pause. Jack patted her head as he set down his mug.  
  
“So he’s a cowboy, huh?” He inquired to stop Hana’s run on sentence. He looked down and pushed some hair out of her face. When had she put pink stickers on her face? Jack sighed internally, somehow unable to stop this girl from decorating her face.

“Yeah! He’s really funny, and he doesn’t like it when other teachers tell him to take the hat off. He always wears it and I think it’s really cool, even if Hanzo said it looks stupid. He’s really nice and he wants to learn how to play video games. Can he come over some time?”  
  
“Mmm, we’ll see,” Jack said, noncommittally. How do you tell a girl that a friend’s father cussed you out and told you to stay away from his son?

Jack and Hana still had some time before she had to go to the Reinhardt’s, but not enough time for Hana to play video games. Jack smiled and patted Hana’s head. “Would you like a song, Girly?”  
  
“Yeah!” Hana beamed up at Jack with a smile that melted his heart.  
  
“Anything in particular?” He said as he reach over the side of the couch. Propped up against the couch sat an old acoustic guitar. Jack had it since he lived on his parents farm, Well over two decades ago. Sure the thing was old, but it worked and Jack kept it tuned. It was a beautiful instrument, made of bright Maple, a wonderful wood color that produced a bright a lovely sound that always rang in Jack ears perfectly.  
  
“Sing my favorite, Daddy! Please Please Please!” She tugged at his shirt excitedly, receiving a chuckle from him.  
  
He propped the guitar on his lap and give it a small test strum. “Alright, girly, anything for you.”  
  
He cleared his throat and slid his fingers up the frets, gracefully sliding into positions practically engraved his muscles. There was only one song Hana loved more than anything else, and Jack loved to play it to, every strum and note memorized after years of stumbling over it. Even when he was uncertain of the pictures and chords, she loved it wanted to hear it over again, and over the course of a few years, he came to perfect it.

He strummed out the melodic intro before closing his eyes and singing.  
  
_“If you ever awake,_  
_In the mirror of a bad dream._  
_And for a fraction of a second,_  
_You can't remember where you are,_  
_Just open your window,_  
_And follow your memories,_  
_Upstream._  
_To the meadow in the mountain,_  
_Where we counted every falling star.”_  
  
Hana sat on the couch cushion beside him, entranced. Her eyes followed his fingers as she hummed along. Hana was trying to learn how to sing, but for the most part she hummed until they got to the chorus.  
  
_“I'm gonna watch you shine,_  
_Gonna watch you grow._  
_Gonna paint a sign,_  
_So you always know._  
_As long as one and one is two,_  
_There could never be a father,_  
_Love his daughter more than I love you.”_

Hana’s head swayed back and forth to the interlude, Jack watching her with a smile that stretched across his face. Everything would be okay, he thought, seeing Hana like this.  
  
Everything would be okay.

 

* * *

 

Being back at the Fire in the Hole was easier today, he felt more in the mood. He had sent Hana off to go play with her best friend for the night, still excited about having a new friend. Honestly, in perspective, Jack didn’t care that this new friend’s father hated him. He probably wouldn’t have to worry about ever running into Gabriel again.  
  
Jack sat on his changing table, hoodie still on and gazing at his phone. He still had plenty of time before he had to work. A fellow coworker came up, grinning ear to ear.  
  
“Hey, Jack, We need three guys to dress up like Daisy Duke.”

“From Dukes of Hazzard?” Jack raised an eyebrow at the concept.

“Yeah, and since you aren’t dressed yet, go grab the flannel and shorts.”

“Damn it,” Jack muttered as he watched his coworker walk away. He got up and walked over to the wardrobe. He grumbled about the choices of denim available, but he was soon dressed in a red gingham shirt, tied under his pecs, denim shorts that pulled too tightly around his groin, and a pair of cowboy boots. It wasn’t horrible, especially when he was feeling in a better mood. The thong string he wore peaked out above the waistline of the shorts. That should at least bring in better tips as he walks the floor.

Tonight would be okay. People who came to the club on Wednesdays were usually regulars, and while the pay would be less, jokes and fun could actually be had. His coworkers had abysmal plans to always coordinate their clothes (even on non specials nights), but the daisy duke idea wasn’t the worst.

The gimp suit was disgusting and smelled rank; he’ll take thongs and gingham any day.

So he worked the floor most of the night, chatting with the bartenders during the early hours, delivering drinks and exchanging tips for flirts. It was days like these that made him remember how he actually liked this job for a while. It wasn’t the worst of the worst jobs, and it had its moments. Weekday regulars were fairly decent people who just wanted to be in a safe space to unwind. That was what made a gay establishment like Fire in the Hole important, it was a safe space for the community.

He finished his floor rounds by bringing whiskey to a few lesbians at a booth, chatting with them until he had to go backstage.

He pulled out the money already tucked into his thong and shorts and stowed it away before the music started up. Pole dancing to country music was certainly an interesting choice, but at least Jack liked the music far more.

“Let’s give a round of hootin’ and hollerin’ for the ‘Soldier!’”

Jack strolled out onto the stage, boots tapping in time to Nancy Sinatra’s “These Boot’s were made for Walkin.’” It’s a fitting start to a country medley. It’s actually a routine he does a lot, except this time instead of a cowboy, he’s now Daisy Duke. Really, the only difference is that he’s already wearing less clothes from the start.

He stepped around the pole, back pressed against it, legs splayed as he lowered himself down, eyeing his audience with a devilish grin. Leg’s spread in a kneeling position, he gripped the pole above him and flexed his arms as he moved his hips a circle as the walking bass line played. When the music switched to “Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy,” Jack slid a boot across the floor and spun around the pole, leaning against it as he pulled himself up, eyes switching from man to man below him. He proceeded to throw his weight into a spin, wrapping his legs around the metal. Jack gave the audience a flash of a grin as he posed and postured, moving along the pole in fluid movements.

As the music flowed into “Red Solo Cup,” Jack slipped off the stage and into the laps of customers, gyrating his hips as men slipped bills into his thong and shirt. He blew kisses and moved about the main floor, dancing to the music as he actually found himself enjoying this.

When he finally slipped backstage, another stripper approached him, “Hey Jack, looked fucking great. You got a request for a dance in curtain 1.”

Jack waved in acknowledgement as he went back to the changing room. Once he dropped of his tips and his flannel shirt, he walked shirtless to the private rooms.

He nodded to the guard and opened the curtain. Jack stopped dead in his tracks.

Why was this man trying to ruin his entire week?

Gabriel stood in the center of the room, wearing a hoodie and jeans, a beanie scrunched up in his hands. He saw Jack and remained glued to his spot.  
  
Jack sighed and strode into the room, closing the curtain behind him, unafraid this time. “Yes, Mr. Reyes?”  
  
Gabriel furrowed his brow and turned away. “What are you doing working here if you work as a firefighter?”  
  
“I’m a volunteer firefighter. Funding is short and there’s only so much reimbursement money,” Jack stated bluntly. He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.

Gabriel chewed at his bottom lip. “And Hana is your daughter?”

“Yes, that’s why firefighting isn’t enough. I’m a single father,” _like you._

“I’m sorry,” Gabriel chokes out, ringing in beanie in his hands.

“Are you done?” Gabriel looked towards Jack. In the darkness, it was hard to see, but even on that stoic face, Gabriel could see the outlines of the bags under his eyes. Gabriel eyed Jack’s hard chest, the lines of muscle and scars. He looked like a soldier, even in daisy dukes. Gabriel could understand the nickname now.

“I-... You-... I’m new to all this…” Jack didn’t respond, so Gabriel continued stumbling over words, “I just, found you hot, and I didn’t know how to handle my emotions. I’m sor-”

“You can leave now,” Jack wouldn’t let Gabriel finish his last apology. Jack remained silent as Gabriel hesitated. When Gabriel refused to leave, Jack just sighed and walked out of the room, barely pushing the curtain out of the way.

The security guard was standing in front of Jack, “You need me to escort him?”  
  
Jack just shook his head, “it’ll be fine. I’m heading home, see ya later, Mako.”

  
 

* * *

 

  
Gabriel finally left the strip club, passing the bouncer and walking to the corner of the street. Man, he felt miserable. He wished he hadn’t been such an ass, but then again, that was almost always his regret. He had the propensity to act like a donkey’s rear end, all hot air and full of shit.

Gabriel pulled out his last cigarette and lighter from his back pocket. After a long drag, he tucked the lighter away and switched it for his phone. His fingers swiped quickly to his text messages, finding one number, the contact now deleted but the number and log remaining. The screen lit up green with all his own messages. This one would end up the same as the previous, probably never read, sent to a defunct phone, long abandoned: “You ruined my life, Sombra. You’re no longer here to keep me from doing stupid shit, and it’s all your fault.”  
  
Pressing send only made him feel slightly better. Gabriel grumbled and typed out another message. “Jesse and I miss you,” but he deleted it before he could press send. Fuck that bitch.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  
> 
>   
>   
> 
> Super special thank you to Grand Mami and Atama Mama (aka, goldiepoppy and fur-claws-and-eyeballs on tumblr) for drawing me awesome things for a fic they hadn't even read yet, and my partner for beta'ing and putting up with my bullshit.  
> If you like the art, check out two amazing artists on tumblr at  
> [goldiepoppy.tumblr.com](http://goldiepoppy.tumblr.com) & [ fur-claws-and-eyeballs.tumblr.com](http://fur-claws-and-eyeballs.tumblr.com)
> 
>  
> 
> If you can catch all my nerdy references, feel free to call me out in the comments for being an nerd.


	4. Chapter 4

The remainder of Jack’s week was miserable, to say the least even if the main problem was MIA since Wednesday. But still, the gloom and dread carried over into Thursday and Friday. It carried over to his Saturday morning. He finally had a break- he finally had one day where he could sleep in- but no, he was wide awake at 5 AM, his mind spinning and his stomach reeling. Not that he felt like he was going to throw up, but the dread had manifested in a lump in the pit of his stomach.

He pulled the blankets around him tighter and stared at the wall, like reassurance would seep out of that spot of beige; but it never did.

He figured he could get up, and while he worked his mind up to get up and take a shower, he never did. Jack just continued to stare at the wall, uselessly.

He’s not sure how long his eyes bored into that spot of drywall, but eventually he heard the door click open. Small feet padded along the bamboo floor to the other side of the bed. A creak of the box spring later and Hana’s hands were prodding at the pile of blankets.

“Daddy! GOOOOooood Mooorrning!” Hana sung out as she toppled onto Jack’s shoulder. Jack finally let out a soft groan and turned his body over, Hana’s giggling form rolling to lay on his chest.  
  
“Mmm, what time is it?” Jack didn’t want to know, but he spoke anyway as he turned to see the clock. “Nine? Why are you awake so early, Hana?”   
  
“I’m Huuuungry,” she bemoaned.

Jack grumbled and sat up, letting Hana roll down his chest, laughing as she went. At least she was in a good mood. Maybe that could be all he needed to not feel so shitty. Hopefully. That and caffeine.

Despite it, Jack did not feel any better after two cups of coffee, avocado toast, and Hana talking his ear off about what she wanted to buy at the mall. He would pushed through this pain, like he did every pain. It was nothing new.

Hana, however, in her cheery disposition was not deterred by her dad’s sluggishness. She cleaned the dishes all by herself as Jack showered. When he was finally dressed in his khakis and “Top Dad” shirt, he found a clean kitchen, a list of groceries (he had forgotten about it on Thursday and couldn’t find the list yesterday), and a patient Hana, 3DS in hand. Finally, Jack felt his face stretch into a smile.

It would be okay again.

 

* * *

 

The mall was packed, typical Saturday foot traffic, as Jack followed Hana into the Vans store. He promised her could have one new pair of shoes for the year, so she had to think really hard about it. Jack perused the shop as Hana made her way to the kid’s section of the shoe displays. He glanced at the skateboards and hoped to himself that Hana would not end up interested in them. The prices looked steep and the injuries aplenty. But Jack was pulled from his worrying father state when he heard Hana.

“Jesse! Hi! You here for shoes too?”

Why? What other-worldly being was getting-off watching Jack suffer. Jack sluggishly pulled his ass over to Hana, where she was excitedly chatting to Jesse.  
  
“Nah, I’m not, but my dad said I could go in and look around,” Jesse sighed, eyeing a pair of taco shoes.

Hana smiles. “Have you seen the new Nintendo Shoes?”  
  
“Nin-tendo?”   
  
“NINTENDO,” Hana shouts and turns Jesse around to show him the selection of pinks and rainbows of pixelated shoes.   
  
Jack walked up behind them and shushed Hana as he put a hand on her head. “Inside voices, Hana,” Jack said, ruffling her hair as he looked at the shoes she’s drooling over.

“Sorry, Daddy. I want these ones!” She picked up a shoe that’s bright pink with a pattern of princess peach on a motorbike with Mario Kart items.

“What’s that from?” Jesse asked, uncertain.

“Mario Kart! Jesse, you don’t know? Daddy, can Jesse come over so I can show him Mario Kart?” Hana turned around, looking up at Jack with puppy eyes. It’s always hard for Jack to say no to that face.

“I don’t know,” Jack dragged out, “Jesse will have to ask his dad,” Jack tried to dodge the question. But he knew he was doomed when he saw Jesse perk up.

“He’s in the starbucks! I’ll go get him,” Jesse smiles and runs off. Jack just internally panicked, feeling the anxiety attempting to flood his mind.

“Uh, come on Hana, let;s buy you this pair of shoes,” _and then maybe we can get out of here before Jesse’s dad shows up._ Jack caught the attention of a sales associate to get the peach shoes in Hana’s size. Just as the shoebox was being bagged and Jack’s credit card rang up, he felt a presence behind him that definitely too big to be Hana or Jesse. Jack held down the fort in his mind, the one that kept the waters of anxiety at bay temporarily.

“Dad, this is Mr. Hana’s dad,” Jesse tugged at Gabriel’s sleeve as he bubbled up with excitement.

“ _Jack._ ”

Jack took the vans bag and turned around, coming face to face with a recurring nightmare. “Hello, Gabriel,” he let out, tone solid and neutral. He saw Hana eyeing the wall of backpacks and turned his head. “Hana, come over here and get your shoes.” Hana immediately hopped over, giggling as she returned to Jack’s side. Jack carefully handed the bag to her. “You got it girly? Don’t drag it on the floor.”  
  
“Ok Daddy,” she nodded with determination as he gripped the bag with both hands.

Jack turned to face Gabriel again as Jesse spoke up, completely obvious to the tension between the two men. “Dad, Can I go over to Hana’s place today? Please?”

Gabriel let out a hum as he lifted his arm, carrying a gaudy-looking frappuccino to his lips.  “I don’t see why not,” Gabriel finally spoke after a long sip, eyeing Jack.

Jack eyed him back warily as Jesse and Hana jumped around each other, energetically. “You don’t?”

It was going to be a long day.

 

* * *

 

Jack and Gabriel sat in the food court, both of their heads turned away to watch as Jesse and Hana played in the small food court play area. Neither father was willing to look at the other, instead they were content to fixing their stares on the children. Jack drank his ice coffee and Gabriel toyed with the straw of his now empty frappuccino. To Jack’s credit, he was holding his drink rather steady, his hands still, even though his heart was barely sustaining a normal rate and his head was filled with what felt like angry wasps of anxiety. Trying to calm the storm, he set the cup down on the table, closed his eyes, and took five deep and slow breaths. To Jack’s own surprise, he felt the storm pass, the feeling fading to a drizzle of worries and doubts.

“You know, buying me a coffee isn’t going to work either,” Jack finally managed, shattering the silence between them after what felt like eternity.  
  
“It isn’t going to work as what?” Gabriel feigned ignorance.   
  
“I don’t care for your apologies,” Jack grumbled.   
  
“Gee,” Gabriel grumbled back, “You weren’t in this bad of a mood when you saved my sorry ass from dying in my own home.” Gabriel knew he shouldn’t be so angry towards the man next to him, but his words preceded reasonable thoughts.

“Really, my bad mood is your own fault. Why have you now ruined three of my days in the past six I’ve known you?” Jack bit back, knuckles white crossed against his body.

Silence.

That’s what Jack’s impression of Gabriel was, and he knew Jack had every right to feel like that. The second night they met, Gabriel outed him at an elementary school. The third he used the strip club as a means of talking to Jack. And well, today, Jack’s day was probably ruined with a sudden forced play date with Gabriel. So Jack’s impression of Gabriel was quite reasonable. Gabriel HAD both intentionally and unintentionally ruined Jack’s day for a third time.

Wow Gabriel had this being-an-asshole thing down.

“The first night was nice,” he let out. It was soft, nearly lost in the white noise of the food court.

Jack froze.

If Jack had said anything, it was lost underneath the sound of children laughing and shouting.

 

* * *

 

Jack and Hana ended up never going to the anime store. Instead, they headed home with Gabriel and Jesse in tow.

Hana immediately dragged Jesse over to the old, cheap console by the T.V., which made Jack rather glad because he didn’t have to give a house tour. Gabriel stood awkwardly at the front door as Jack took off towards his bedroom. Once he shut the door behind him, he let out an incredible sigh of relief. The door supported his weight for the longest time before Jack could support himself again. He tugged off his shirt and took the hoodie from his bed, slipping it on and letting it wrap around his body like a security blanket. He gazed longingly at his bed, but headed back for the door, able to afford enough will power to at least watch over the kids.

When he returned to the living room, Gabriel was sitting on the couch, silently watching the kids as Hana explained how to play Mario Kart Double Dash.

“Okay so you hold the controller like this,” Hana pulled the controller over to Jesse. But the crestfallen look on Jesse’s face stopped her in her tracks.

“Uh, Hana. I can’t do this.” He pulled his arm from his chest to show her his prosthetic hand. There was a long, drawn out silence before Hana jumped up from her seat on the floor.

“YES YOU CAN!” She immediately abandoned the console controller and turned to the computer on the other side of the living room, “I have an idea Jesse!”

“Idea?” Jesse followed, standing behind Hana as she started up the desktop and quickly scrolled through the files.

“I have roms! Daddy let me download a bunch of really old games and they have a menu to change the controllers around. Here!” She sat down on the computer chair with enough room on her right for Jesse to sit beside her. When he hesitated, she gave him a big smile and patted a hand on the seat cushion.

“You let Hana play video games?” Gabriel raised his eyebrow, deciding he can no longer let the silence roll between him and Jack.

“Yes, she enjoys them,” Jack confirmed as he watched the kids. His bluntness created silence again, a silence Jack relished in, but a silence that threatened Gabriel.

Soon enough, Hana had the keyboard setup. “OK, so you get this side of the keyboard,” she said, motioning to the right side, “and you use these buttons to turn and go.”  
  
“Ca-can you do this for other games, too?” Jesse asked, staring at the keyboard in shock. It was a bit awkward as he tested his hand on the keys, but sure enough, the entire game could be played with just one hand. Jesse had no idea anyone could do this.   
  
“Yup!”   
  
Gabriel could see the smile that stretched across Jesse’s face. It was possibly the most his hijo had smiled in a year. It both warmed and broke Gabriel’s heart. He watched Jesse and Hana sit side by side and play several rounds of Mario Kart, giggling and chatting, before Hana switched to another game.

“I never bought him any video games because I didn’t know he could play them,” Gabriel finally admitted to the air, uncertain Jack would listen anyway. He turned his head to find Jack leaning his head against his hand, nearly asleep. “Are you OK?”  
  
“Huh?” Jack jolted awake, looking around before rubbing his face with his the collar of his hoodie. He grumbled before standing. “I’m making some coffee,” was all he said coherently before he wandered off into the kitchen. Gabriel hesitated, looking to his watch, before getting up and following Jack.   
  
“It’s 2 PM, who drinks coffee in the afternoon?”   
  
“Someone who works sixty plus a week,” Jack mumbled, his back turned as he shoveled coffee into the coffee maker.

“Why do you do this to yourself? Where’s Hana’s mother? Why isn’t she helping you?”  
  
Jack was silent as the coffee maker came to life with a hum. Even underneath the heavy fabric of the hoodie, Gabriel could see the tension in the shape of Jack’s shoulders.

“Gone,” the word barely registered in Gabriel’s ears, but there it was. “Her family died in an apartment fire. So I adopted her.”

The admission was so quiet, Gabriel almost missed it. Suddenly the words were loud as they repeated in his head. Everything clicked into place.

 

Jack had rescued Hana from a deadly fire.

 

Once the pot was full of coffee, Jack poured himself a cup and gulped it down, undeterred by the steam and burn, before pouring himself another cup and walking passed Gabriel. By the time Gabriel returned to the living room, Jack was sitting down on the couch with an acoustic guitar in his lap, coffee cup sitting in front of him. Jack was carefully plucking the strings and adjusting their tightness with the knobs, tuning the fine instrument.

Gabriel stood at the entryway to the room, eyes glued to the man as his features softened, stress melting away as he focused his attention on the guitar. Gabriel now got a better look at the hoodie, eyeing the garish amount of sequins and rhinestones with surprise. But his wandering eyes stopped when Jack pulled the guitar up to his chest and started strumming. His fingers quickly dancing around the frets as the guitar rang out through the room in a beautiful melodic stream.

Jack didn’t sing, but Gabriel could feel where the words were supposed to go. The sound was familiar but he couldn’t put his finger on it.

Gabriel wasn’t the only one focused on Jack; both Hana and Jesse were consumed by the music, as well. Hana hummed along while Jesse leaned over the arm of the chair, transfixed on Jack’s fingers as they worked their magic. Jack’s eyes fell closed as he played from memory. In this moment, Gabriel had not seen anything more beautiful; peace written over worn features, a man finding comfort in music.

By the time Jack had finished, the song resolving into the air, Jesse was at the couch, crawling up beside Jack. “Mr. Hana’s Dad, that was amazing! Can you teach me how to do that?” Jesse looked awestruck, like his father, but Gabriel suddenly realized the predicament his son had not realized, yet.  
  
“Jesse, maybe you could learn an instrument that does-”

“Hmm, I think we can do that,” Jack spoke before Gabriel could finish the thought. “It might be a bit difficult at first, but if you really get into it, maybe you could try your hand at a left-handed guitar.” He lifted the guitar off his lap and turned it upside, placing it in Jesse’s lap, practically dwarfing the child. “See, now you can play the frets with your right hand but you can still use your other hand to strum.” Jack helped a confused Jesse position his hands, placing his good hand to cup the neck and press his fingers against the strings, and moved his plastic hand to the strings at the body of the instrument.

The moment Jack guided Jesse’s plastic hand down along the strings and the guitar rang out a beautiful chord, Jesse’s face lit up like fireworks.

Gabriel was like a stone-statue, unable to move as he watched the joy on his son’s face as Jack taught the boy how to play a few chords, how he could move his prosthetic hand to match the strumming Jack could do. In this moment, Jack looked as if he had forgotten of Gabriel’s own presence, focusing instead on doing what he did best, helping kids and making them happy.

Gabriel’s heart felt tight against his ribcage.

Oh no.

Gabriel was in love.

 

* * *

 

Eventually Jack had finished a whole pot of coffee and ended Jesse and Hana’s playdate, saying that he needed to cook dinner for Hana and prepare for work. Gabriel didn’t ask which work the man was going to. Hana asked if Jesse could come over again next weekend, and despite everything (everything concerning Gabriel) he agreed to it. Jack was a fucking saint.

Gabriel and Jesse walked back to their condo, Gabriel promising he would have dinner ready soon for the hungry child.  
  
When they stepped in the door, Gabriel saw a familiar pony tail draped over his couch. “Took you long enough,” drawled out the graceful french accent. The woman turned her head, every one of her sharp and near-deadly features on her face judging Gabriel; strong, dark eyes framed by perfectly plucked brows, a thin, sharp nose, and thin but elegantly pouted lips, painted in black.

“Uh, sorry, Amélie, Jesse had a play date,” Gabriel said rubbing his neck as Jesse ran up.  
  
“Ammie!” Jesse cried out as he threw herself down on Amélie’s lap. “Hana taught me how to play video games and Mr. Hana’s Dad showed me how to play guitar and it was AWESOME.”   
  
Amélie let out a confined noise of amusement before he sat Jesse up, “That’s great dear. Since your father didn’t bother to let me know how long you’d be, I took the liberty to ordering pizza for you. There’s cheese and taco pizza in the kitchen.”   
  
“TACO PIZZA! YAY!” Jesse jumped up and ran into the kitchen as Gabriel walked up behind Amélie, arms crossed in displeasure.

“How dare you bring such filth into my house. I could have made him real tacos.”  
  
“Oh hush, mon ami, he likes it, let him enjoy it,” She said, standing up and fixing her skirt.  “Besides, I didn't bring it, the pizza guy did and you paid for it.” Before Gabriel could shout his lungs off at her, she pulled out her phone and showed him the message already pulled up on it. “More importantly, while you’ve been gone, a call came in; we have work to do.”

Gabriel read it and huffed, “I can deal with it tomorrow.”

“No you can’t. I wouldn’t be your damned assistant if I didn’t make you do your work.”

“Ugh, fine. Food first, we’ll talk to Wah Ching tonight about laying off on the territory dispute until we can get contracts going.”

“Alright. So who is this Hana and monsieur ‘Hana’s dad?’”  
  
Gabriel groaned. “Really, Am? You’re going to do this to me?”   
  
“Oui.”

Begrudgingly, Gabriel set Jesse up in front of the tv with his pizza as Amélie and Gabriel stayed in the kitchen eating their cheese pizza. Amélie detested mixing flavors just as much as Gabriel did taco pizza, so they always ate cheese pizza while Jesse went crazy with pizza toppings. “Do you remember convincing me to go to the strip club on Monday night?”  
  
“Mmm, you called me that morning to tell me about the hot stud you met.”

“I ran into him in Jesse’s class room at the parent teacher thing.”  
  
Amélie looked up from her plate, still cutting the pizza with a fork and knife. Gabriel’s silence read like a book to her. “What did you do?” Her tone was suddenly sharp and thick, wary of the direction of the conversation.   
  
“I may have said stuff.”  
  
Her perfect eyebrow arched as she set down her fork, “Gabi… _Stuff?”_   
  
“Anyway,” not wanting to discuss what he said, he cleared his throat and moved on, “turns out he’s also a firefighter.”   
  
“NO,” Amélie let out a gasp of shock. “Your office?”   
  
“Yes,” Gabriel said meekly, slumping in his seat. “And now that I’ve royally fucked up, Jesse is friends with his daughter… And I fucked up.”   
  
“You like him, too,” Amélie crossed her arms. Gabriel’s groan spoke volumes as he buried his face in his hands. Instead being a sympathetic friend, she instead let out a chuckle, “‘Royally fucked’ is an appropriate phrase, mon ami. What are you going to do?”   
  
“I don’t know. I want to show him I’m not an asshole, but he won’t forgive me.”   
  
“If you ever do get around to showing him your not an asshole, feel free to show me, too,” Amélie finished as he picked back up her fork and stabbing a nearly cut square of cheese pizza.

“Besa mi culo, puta.”

“Brûles en enfer.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, thank you everyone who has read and loved this fic, commented, kudo'd, bookmarked, etc. You guys have no idea how much your responses have meant to me over the weeks. I've had some crappy days here and there, but y'all have made them better. So Thanks and I hope y'all enjoyed this twister of a chapter.  
> I'm not sure when chapter 5 will be up, but as you can see I'm trying to keep up with a semi-consistent uploading schedule. And by that I mean "I try to not keep y'all waiting 5ever for the next chapter."
> 
> Translations  
> "hijo" - son  
> "mon ami" - my friend  
> “Besa mi culo, puta.” - Kiss my ass, bitch  
> “Brûles en enfer.” - Burn in hell.
> 
> Also, amazing art from chapter 1, Thank you SO SO SO SO SO much [Orenjimaru](http://orenjimaru.tumblr.com)  
>  


	5. Chapter 5

 

The bus back home was always loud and crazy: everyone was so excited to go home, and Hana was no different. She was jumping up and down in her seat next to Jesse, causing his seat to shift with every downbeat. She held the left side of her 3DS while Jesse held onto the right side. “You can totally beat it, you can totally beat the Rathalos, Jesse! Come on let’s go!” Even though Jesse was only operating half the controls, to Hana, it was Jesse playing. Jesse had razor sharp concentration, but it dropped off when his hunter died and the timer ran out.   
  
He pouted as he slumped against the seat. “It’s okay, Jesse, you can beat it! I believe in you!” The smile superseded the pout.   
  
Hana closed the 3DS and turned to Fareeha, sitting across the aisle. “Hey! You excited for SLEEP OVER!”    
  
Fareeha smiled, deviously, “my dad bought a cotton candy maker.”   
  
Hana’s gasped as she jumped nearly out of her sleep. “OHMIGOSH YES!”   
  
“A sleep over? But it’s Tuesday,” Jesse leaned over, curious.   
  
“Yeah? I go over to Fareeha’s house when my dad has work. Why wait for the weekend to play with your friends? Don’t you go over to friends houses during the week?”   
  
“No, but I’d sure like to.”

“Hey, why don’t you come over now? Hanzo and Genji are coming over after they finish with baseball practice.”   
  
Jesse’s eyes widened. He wanted to hang out with Hanzo. “Uh, is that OK? Uh, my pap’s at work and will be for a while. I was just going to sit alone at home until he got back.”   
  
“Yeah of course!”  
  


* * *

  
When the bus came to a halt at the condos, the three kids hopped out in front of Jack. He was dressed in a pair of black gym shorts and a white shirt, damp with sweat.

“Hey girly, how was school,” he said, smiling as Hana hopped up.

“It was GREAT- EEEEWWW, DAD YOU SMELL BAD.”   
  
Jack laughed and patted her head, “Sorry girly, just got off work.” His smile never quite reached his eyes, but Hana was too blissfully young to understand.   
  
“Hey dad, can Jesse come over? He wants to play magic with Hanzo and Genji, too. His dad isn’t home. He shouldn’t be alone.” Hana tugged at Jack’s shorts, giving him puppy eyes. Jack wanted to protest, wanted to make an excuse, but Hana knew how to play his heart strings.    
  
Jack relented, “that’s ok, come on.” He walked home with the two kids bouncing behind him instead of one. He regretted his lack of willpower, but he hoped for the best when he got Gabriel’s number out of the hyperactive Jesse. He hesitated over the send button, but he gulped weekly and closed his eyes as the message went out. It would be okay, he told himself.   
  
[It’s Jack. Jesse is staying over at my house to play with Hana. Come pick him up when you get off work.]   
  
He followed up with his address before putting his phone away and stepping in the house. Once the kids were set up in the living room with celery, carrots, and a table for their cards, he left them to head into the bedroom. It wasn’t ideal, but he could manage this.

He stared at his dirty laundry in his hamper before tossing his sweaty shirt on top. He was so behind on his household chores.

He slid out of his shorts as he walked into the shower, trying to relax as he waited for the water to warm up. He still needed to pay bills, do laundry, and clean the house. Just those thoughts made him recoil, stress creasing his forehead. Instead, he turned his mind to other things. He drifted to the idea of having someone else in his life. A dream he’s had for years about dating and finding someone. But being a single father made that nearly impossible. Jack hadn’t touched his dating accounts in at least a year. He’s given up but he still daydreams in the shower, drifting to the thought of another man in his bed.   
  
When he finally returned to the living room in a fresh t-shirt, gym shorts, and wet hair, he found four kids all happily playing Magic the Gathering. Jack smiled to himself as he checks his phone. No response from Gabriel but Jack was unbothered.   
  
Hanzo looked less pleased than his little brother, but Jack figured that it was just how the boy was. Jack was sure the kid would grow out of that and wouldn’t grow up to have a bitch face. In the kitchen, he contemplated dinner for Hana and himself. He had enough time for once that he could prepare Hana a real meal before he had to go work. He set out chopping vegetables, deciding that bibimbap would be an appropriate.   
  
It took a while to make, with all the separate components to cook, but by the time he had most of the food prepared and the rice on the stove, the doorbell rang. Jack threw the kitchen towel over his shoulder and walked over to the foyer.   
  
He knew what to prepare for when he opened up the door. “Good afternoon, Mr. Reyes.” He eyed Gabriel, standing in a pair of black trousers and a tight black, long sleeve shirt. He sure wore a lot of black. Jack did his best not to admire the at the way that shirt framed Gabriel’s shoulders and waist, or the way his undercut looked so smooth and the hair on the top of his head perfectly curled against his forehead. Jack distracted himself by turning to the living room. “Jesse, your father is here.”   
  
Gabriel shifted from foot to foot. “How are you doing today, Jack?” He asked nervously. When Jack pretended not to hear, Gabriel spoke up again, “thanks for taking care of my son. I do feel bad leaving him at home when work keeps me over.”   
  
Jack just nodded as Jesse walked up with his backpack, Hanzo and Genji following. “You two headed home, too?”   
  
Hanzo nodded. “Thank you, Mr. Morrison, for your hospitality,” the boy cooly bowed before leading his brother to their bicycles, ignoring Jesse’s wave.   
  
Genji waved excitedly back, though. “BYE MR. FIREMAN! BYE JESSE! BYE HANA!”   
  
Jesse looked up to Jack, “Thank you Mr. Morrison.” He smiled and step out the door and to his dad, who took his hand.   
  
Hana giggled as she stuck her head under Jack’s arm. “Hey Jesse, my dad is taking me to the anime shop on Saturday. Can you come too? Hanzo and Genji will be there!”   
  
Jack held back the eye roll and groan. He needed to have a talk with his girl about inviting Jesse everywhere. He bit back the frown when Gabriel easily agreed, “That sounds like fun, huh Jesse.”   
  
The boy nearly dropped his hat jumping up excitedly. “YES!”   
  
“Alright, that’s enough Hana, let them go home. Bibimbap is almost ready, so you better get your homework done stat before I go to work.” He herded her back into the house before turning to the door.   
  
“Wait you have work tonight? Won’t she be home alone?” Gabriel looked concerned. Too concerned then he has any right to be.   
  
“She stays with the neighbors when I work nights,” Jack calmly answered.   
  
“W-well, if you’d ever like help, she’s always welcome at my house.”   
  
“Thank you,” and with that, Jack ended the conversation with the closed door.  
  


* * *

  
Jack stood at the bar, the night rather young and the crowd sparse. He leaned against the dark wood and spun a coaster between his index and thumb.    
  
“How’s the ankle biter?”   
  
“She’s fine, school is going well, making friends as usual.” Jack sighed and looked to the bartender.   
  
“Should bring ‘er round for some of the employee parties, everyone would love the lil sheila.”   
  
“Maybe when she’s older, Jamison,” Jack’s code for no. Jamison shrugged and stacked the wet glasses on the drying rack. Jack never attended parties anyway. Jamison was used to Jack’s walls, he knew there was no hard feelings.   
  
“Mako told me about that visitor you had last week. Are you alright?”   
  
Jack groaned and flicked the coaster down the bar. “Please, I would rather not talk about him.”   
  
“Do you need us to file a report? Blacklist?” Jamison walked over, ruffling his fluffed up hair as he approached Jack.   
  
“No no, it will be alright,” he let out and dropped his head between his shoulders. “He’s just…I’m conflicted.”   
  
“Yeah?”   
  
“He’s,” Jack sighed and pressed his fingers against the bridge of his nose, “he’s the father of Hana’s new friend. And he’s attractive.”   
  
“Well that first problem is real tricky. Second? I didn’t know you could be attracted to anything,” Jamison barked out a laugh at Jack’s groan. “Seriously, mate, do I need to bring out the Blacklist?” He leaned in close to Jack.   
  
Jack stood, “No. I’ll be fine. I will work out my own problems myself.” He turned to a group of guys walking in past Mako. “Don’t worry Jamison, it will be okay,” it didn’t sound okay in that cold voice, but before Jamison could react, Jack was gone.  
  


* * *

  
“Hey look at this one, isn’t it cool?”   
  
“Uh, yeah I guess?” Jesse turned the box around. “Was all this scribble about?”   
  
“That ‘scribble’ is Japanese, Jesse,” Hanzo scowled from beyond his box. “These are Gundam model kits.”   
  
“OOO, Hanzo, you said a bad word!” Jesse blurted out, Hana and Genji bursting into laughter.   
  
“Jesse, it’s not a swear, it’s the name of the kits,” Hana gasped out between her giggling before pointing to the box art. “You buy it and build this thing,” Hana grinned and puts a hand on Hanzo’s shoulder, soothing the fuming. “Come on, doesn’t this one look cool?” She pointed to a box on the shelf. “I wanna paint it pink!”   
  
“Hana, you paint everything pink,” Genji pouted.   
  
“YEAH! Cause when I beat up boys, they’ll know a girl beat them up!” Hana smirked and picked up the box from the shelf.   
  
Jack walked over, looking at his wrist watch. “Hey, you guys need to be quieter, we are in a public space,” he scolded them before looking at what hana has in her hands. “Is that what you want to buy, girly?”   
  
“Yep!”    
  
Gabriel stood behind Jack, hands stuffed in the pockets of his hoodie, watching Jesse. “Howdy mijo, see anything you like?”

“I don’t wanna have'ta build my action figures,” Jesse frowned as he pushed the box back onto the shelf.   
  
Gabriel laughed and put his hand on Jesse’s shoulder, “come on, I’ll buy you some more of those cards you like.”   
  
“Wait they have Yu-Gi-Oh here?!” Jesse’s head swiveled around to the counter.   
  
“Wait he plays Yu-Gi-Oh?” Genji looks over as Jesse hustled over, looking at the cards on display. Hanzo rolled his eyes and turned back to the Gundam boxes. Hana laughed and followed Jesse.   
  
“Oh cool, I didn’t know you play these Jesse.” Hana smiled, hugging the Gundam kit to her chest as she leaned over Jesse’s shoulder. Jack walked up to the counter to take the Gundam kit and pay for it before Jesse responded.   
  
“We should play Hana!”   
  
“I don’t have any cards though, just magic cards.”   
  
“Aw come on, you can buy a premade deck really easy.”   
  
“But…” Hana looked down at her box, a frown etched across her face. Jack froze, his gut twisting.   
  
“Ah, Jesse, don’t make her buy anything,” Gabriel walked over to the counter and patted the cowboy hat beside him with a smile. “You wanted on of these big boxes before right? I’ll buy you this and two packs and you can use them to play with Hana.”   
  
Jack watched astonished as Gabriel let Jesse pick out the packs of cards he wanted, picking a few extra for Hana before purchasing. By the time they walked out of the shop, Hana was skipping along, carrying two new boxes, giddy about playing a new game with Jesse.   
  
“Hey Daddy, can we see a movie?” Hana looked up at Jack. She always wanted to go next door to the movie theatre every time they visited the anime shop, and he usually obliged. Hana got way more excited to see action movies then most kids, but Jack could get behind that. They had shared many weekends watching fast and furious marathons, even if she was probably considered too young for the series’ contents.   
  
But Gabriel was here.   
  
So Jack feigned a smile, “I don’t know, girly, we got some movies at home we could watch.”   
  
“Wait, I want to see a movie too,” Jesse interjected.    
  
And then Gabriel chimed in, “I have time.” Jack watched in disbelief as Gabriel rallied up the two children about what movie they could see. Hana just turned her head towards her dad, unleashing her ultimate attack. The dreaded puppy eyes.   
  
Jack was a weak man, “Yeah, I suppose.”   
  
And that was how he ended up in the lobby of the theatre, Gabriel holding the tickets to a movie Jack didn’t care about enough to know the name of. Jack bristled as Gabriel ordered popcorn and soda for him and Jesse. “Do you two want anything?”   
  
The words were on the tip of his tongue, a polite rejectio- “MOUNTAIN DEW.”   
  
“Hana, no.”   
  
“PLEASE?”   
  
“Hana Charlet Morrison Song,” Jack puffed his chest up, arms crossed. But his train of thought was interrupted when Jesse walked up beside Hana holding two cups of soda, one a toxic colored yellow. Jack shot Gabriel a glare to end all glares. The damned bastard was grinning, carrying two large bags of popcorn.   
  
“Jack, it’s just a drink, relax.”   
  
“Just a drink? Do you even think about the amount of caffeine and sugar in those bottles? They are wasted calories and contribute to diabetes and A-”   
  
“Thank you so much Mr. Reyes,” Hana tugged at Gabriel’s pant leg, looking up with the most heart warming smile, clutching her drink like a lifeline.   
  
“Your welcome, Hana. Come on let’s get to our seats.”   
  
Jack look positively defeated, unable to deny the smile on Hana’s face, and unable to beat this newfound tenderness coming from Gabriel.   


* * *

  
The theatre was crowded, the four having purchased tickets almost before the movie started. Realizing that there were no empty rows, the fathers opted for two rows of two where the they could sit behind and watch over the two hyperactive pre-teens. The popcorn bag was like a barrier between Jack and Gabriel, but Gabriel found himself content regardless. His boy was happy and enthusiastically out and about with a friend, Jack’s cold shoulder all day barely concerned him.   
  
Gabriel tried his damnedest to follow along with the movie and it’s bright and flashing, kid-friendly humor, sure that he would end up being quizzed later by his hjio, but he couldn’t help but be distracted by the movement beside him. He turned his gaze to find Jack’s head slumped, arm fallen into his lap, dozing off. Gabriel would feel mortified staring, but he’s eyes traced the profile of Jack’s face in the barely lit room, seeing how soft his face looked without those creases along his forehead. Jack looked so warm and peaceful, a stark contrast to what Gabriel knew of the man. If Gabriel’s heart throbbed a bit, he ignored it as he shoved a wad of popcorn in his mouth, attempting to distract himself with the fatty, buttery flavor of cold popcorn.   
  


* * *

  
Jack felt utterly exhausted when Gabriel carefully shook him awake.   
  
“Hey, the movies over, cariño,” there might of been something off in Gabriel’s voice or the way his hand froze on Jack's shoulder before he immediately turned away, but honestly, Jack had a hard time deciphering anything in his sleepy haze. Jack rubbed his face before standing and stretching.

The two men followed the children into the lobby of the movie, watching as the two practically vibrated as they talked about the movie   
  
“That was awesome!”   
  
“Yeah! I loved the bunny character.”   
  
“That cowboy was sooo coool,” Jesse dragged out.   
  
Out in the early evening air, Jack took a deep breath, feeling the clean air clear his thoughts. He turned to Hana, “Ready to go, girly?”   
  
Hana looked over and pouted, “Daddy, I’m hungry.”    
  
“I can make mac-n-cheese when we get home,” Jack offered with a lazy smile.   
  
“Well there’s the diner right here,” Gabriel motioned to a tacky colored restaurant.  Jack sighed and looked down at the tugging at his shorts.   
  
“Please? Daddy?” Jack would someday grow a resistance to Hana’s puppy eyes. Someday.   
  


* * *

  
Jack attempted to argue with Gabriel about the check but the man’s hand was too damn fast. And the way he reacted to Jack’s disapproving scowl was odd; the man looked genuinely upset. Jack felt his stomach twist and looked towards the kids, who were still happily chatting about the movie, forever obviously to the tension between the two father figures. The whole dinner was like this, the men quiet, listening to their kids banter.   
  
Which was why Jack was more than happy to give Hana a piggy back out of the diner. “Today was so much fun, thanks dad! Thanks Mr. Reyes.” Jack smiled as she tightened her arms around his neck.   
  
They walked under the streetlights back out to where they left their cars parked at the anime shop, Jesse happily walking along side Jack and chatting with the lump on his back that was Hana, slowly beginning to yawn. Maybe the Mountain Dew wasn’t that harmful if it wasn’t going to leave her wired for the night.   
  
Gabriel approached his car, Jack not the least bit surprised find out the man drove a black Dodge Charger, rear view mirror laden with rosary beads and what looked to be at least ten air fresheners. Jack approached his beat up blue Honda Civic and watched Jesse sneak around the side of the charger for the front passenger seat. Before the boy could get his plastic hand on the handle, Gabriel growled out, “Mijo, don’t you be touching that handle. Until you are 13, you sit in the back seat, comprende?” Jesse groaned and slinked back and opened the rear door, slipping in with an obnoxious grumble. Jack let Hana off to go crawl into the back of the Civic and turned to get in before he was confronted by Gabriel, standing at his door.

“Gabriel,” he let out smoothly, ready for confrontation.   
  
“Hey, I uh,” Gabriel paused, licking his lips before continuing, “thanks. For today. Jesse is really happy to have a friend like Hana.”   
  
Jack just nodded. “Goodnight, Gabriel,” he said before slipping his hand beside the man’s hip, pulling the car door open.  He pretend her didn’t see the way Gabriel’s face dropped as he stepped out the way, and he pretended it definitely didn’t affect him. Jack also didn't think about the fact that Gabriel had graciously given Hana a present, bought them snacks and a movie, and then proceeded to take them out to dinner. His mind produced the word "date" but he shoved it out of his head as he turned up the radio.  
  


* * *

  
Gabriel watched Jack’s car drive out of the parking lot, waiting a while before starting up his own car. He didn’t much feel like following Jack’s car home, didn’t feel like thinking about the man the entire ride back. He felt like a coward under the intense stare of those icy blue eyes.   
  
But Jack seemed willing enough to at least let the kids’ friendship continue. Gabriel realized he would have to accept that was as good as it was going to get.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your patience!


	6. Chapter 6

Gabriel leaned against the wall, cigarette hanging from his lips as he swiped through the news on his phone. He didn’t usually wait here for Jesse, he knew the boy could walk to the condo on his own, but he wanted to kill time while he was supposed to be working on paperwork. He needed a smoke break anyway.   
  
He put an end to his smoke break when he saw the bus approaching, dropping the stick and crushing it with his boot. He adjusted the beanie on his head as the bus pulled up to the bus stop. Jesse practically shot off the bus and to Gabriel, wrapping his arms around one of Gabriel’s legs, good arm working in overtime to hug extra hard, letting out a loud “Papi!” as he did.   
  
Gabriel chuckled and set his hand on the cowboy hat, “afternoon, mijo.” He was just about to ask Jesse how his day was when he saw Hana standing in front of closing bus door, looking around. Her fingers tightened on the straps of her backpack as she spun her head around.   
  
Something wasn’t right, it seemed.   
  
“Hana? Everything OK?” He patted on Jesse’s good arm, the boy letting go of Gabriel’s leg. Gabriel approached Hana and knelt down.   
  
“I… My dad… He doesn’t have work tonight,” Hana bit her lip, Gabriel watching the way her body tense up.   
  
“Hey hey, calm down chica. Was your dad supposed to be here then?” Gabriel’s brows knit together as he tried to think. He could text Jack, but what was that going to do when Hana was standing on the sidewalk alone. He cleared his throat, “H-hey, maybe he was just running late, didn’t see the time. Come on, Jesse and I will walk you to your house, OK?”   
  
Hana paused, looking to him before nodding slowly. Gabriel stood and motioned to Jesse, “come on, mijo.” He took both of the kids by the hands and they started down the road.

Clearly Jack had been home, his garage door was open and his car was pulled in. Gabriel walked up to the garage and found the door to the inside unlocked. It swung open to reveal a dark house. Gabriel gulped down the lump in his throat.   
  
“D-Dad?” Gabriel could feel the girl’s nervousness as she called out, her hand gripping tightly at his, small fingers trembled as they flexed. He gripped her hand tighter. There was a faint rustling coming from an open door nearby, and while Gabriel picked up on it and tensed up, neither of the kids seemed to notice. He led the two into the living room, letting go of Jesse’s hand to flip the lights and turn the T.V. on.   
  
“I’m sure your dad is just asleep. Stay here and relax,” Gabriel assured the child just as much as he was trying to assure himself. He sat the two kids on the couch and walked away, looking around the house as the Jesse started talking to Hana.

  
Gabriel smelled coffee from the kitchen, a pot sitting in the coffee maker. Gabriel remembered how much coffee he had seen Jack consume.  He was uncertain if it was a good or bad sign that the pot was still mostly full.   
  
He’s been in this house before, but this is really the first time Gabriel has seen more than the livingroom and kitchen. The house is sparsely decorated. The living room furniture was nothing more than IKEA props, the walls contained more of Hana’s drawing than pictures. There was an old black and white wedding picture, possibly Jack’s parents, and a picture of Hana, both hung up on the hall across from the suspect doorframe. Gabriel stood beside the door, back against the wall, hand itching for the ghost handle at his hip. He felt uncomfortable to be in such an uncertain situation without some sort of protection.    
  
He made a quick prayer, hoping that he wasn’t about to confront a body or some horror scene, crossing his heart for the best before pressing forward. Slowly stepping into the doorway, he squinted in the dim lighting. He could make out the frame of a bed and   
  
“Jack?” His voice was soft, almost silent as it hung in the air. The man was sitting against the bed frame, knees curled up against his chest, hands tucked to his face. At Jack’s feet was a shattered mug, dripping with the dark liquid as it pooled on the floor. The sound of Gabriel’s voice caused Jack’s shoulders to tense, his whole body drawing up tight. He looked so small.   
  
“D-Don’t,” Jack’s was stifled and rough, Gabriel almost didn’t hear it. Gabriel stepped into the room. Jack tensed up more at the sound of the foot steps against hardwood. “D-DOn’T let Hana See me Like this.” Jack’s voice sounded labored and pained-as if he had been crying-and while the tone was threatening, his words were still so quiet. Gabriel paused and then quietly turned and pushed the door closed. Gabriel feared with the way Jack was acting that he must have some hope gravely injured himself. What if someone had come in and shot him?   
  
Once the door was closed, the room was considerably darker, no light able to bleed through from the hallway. Gabriel rushed over to Jack’s side, surprised at the way the man squirmed away. “Are you hurt?” Gabriel knelt down to put a hand on Jack’s shoulder only to find himself shoved away by a flailing arm. “Ouch, hey! Jack! What the fuck!” He winced, and Gabriel stopped to stare at him, bewildered.   
  
“Jack, are you hurt?” He repeated, tearing away one of Jack’s shaking hands from his face. Again he tugged violently away.  Gabriel caught a glimpse of tears and looked down at the hoodie Jack was wearing. It was stained, but not darkened. The man had been crying. Gabriel stopped, letting silence pass between the two of them as he watched Jack’s shaking figure. He cleared his throat, “Come on Jack, speak to me. What’s going on?” He realized that trying to touch him any more wasn’t going to work, but he wasn’t going to get much out of the situation if he left Jack like this.   
  
“I-I-I-I,” Gabriel could make out the stuttering, the failed attempt to speak while Jack’s vocal chords shook with the rest of his body, muffled by his hands.    
  
Gabriel found himself agitated, like he was talking to Jesse having a hissy fit. “Come on man, speak up!” He was quick to realize that raising his voice definitely wasn’t helping the situation when Jack flinched and leaned away. Knees starting to ache, Gabriel sat down with a sigh. “Hey, hey,” he soothed, hand itching to reach out a still a shaking shoulder, “sorry. Uh, come on, take a deep breath. You got to tell me whats going on.” Gabriel felt so out of his element right now.   
  
But a softer voice seemed to do something when Jack took in a long shaky breath. The shivering paused as he exhaled. Gabriel listened into the silence as Jack mumbled out, “I-I’m a failure.”   
  
“What do you mean?” Gabriel quirked an eyebrow. He wasn’t sure what the make of this except that he probably didn’t have to call 911, at least. Maybe if he could some kind of answer out of Jack he could at least do something to help.   
  
“‘M a horr-ible f-father,” Jack choked up and buried himself further into his knees.   
  
Gabriel felt the twisting knot in the pit of his stomach. “No,” he breathed, “no you’re not Jack.”   
  
“I AM,” Jack’s arms came up around his head, fingers tightening in his hair as he pressed his face deeper into his knees. His voice was clearer now, though still shaky, “I CAN’T EVEN REMEMBER TO PICK HER UP FROM THE BUS STOP!”   
  
“Woah woah woah,” Gabriel’s hands twitching again, extending outward in the desire to soothe the man, “Parents forget shit all the time. Why did you forget today?”   
  
Jack hiccuped, arms tensing up as he grit his teeth, “I-I-I was selfish, h-here. Too b-busy pitying my-self,” Jack stammered. Gabriel paused, trying to figure out what Jack meant. He must have been sitting here for a while then.   
  
Gabriel turned his attention to the broken cup on the floor. “This?” He points, “how long has this been here? H-How long have you been here?”  
  
He made out a whispered “I don’t know,” from Jack and sighed. Gabriel had no idea what was going on, but something must have happened and Jack broke the mug and stayed like this for maybe an hour. Maybe more.    
  
He pressed a hand to a face and exhaled, struggling to understand just what happened to make Jack like this, when Jack spoke up again, “th-they’ll take her away from me. They’ll fi-find out what a mess I am, t-that I-’m u-unf-it to b-be a parent an’ t-take her away.” The last words sounded soured and course. Gabriel turned back towards him.   
  
“How does dropping a mug and forget to walk your daughter home from the bus stop mean… Who is they?” Gabriel knew he misstepped again when Jack pulled himself in tighter again, a broken sob coming from his throat as he shook like a leaf. Gabriel frowned, trying to make sense of this situation. “Look, Jack. No one is perfect, and making a few mistakes won’t mean the end of the world. No one’s going to take Hana.”   
  
“T-they tried be-fore,” Jack bit out.   
  
Gabriel’s eyes widened as he put together the puzzle pieces in his head. Had Jack been approached by child protective services? Gabriel knew that feeling way too well. He remembered when a neighborhood watch hag called CPS on him-in his last house-because he invited a bunch of buddies over for a cookout; bitch was terrified of Gabriel to begin with, and more tattoo’d Latino men on motorcycles made her “fearful for Jesse’s life.” But why would Jack have ever been in trouble with CPS?   
  
Gabriel shook his head, “Jack, come on, Hana’s OK. No one goes to take her away from you over some spilled coffee.” The way Jack eased up a bit was minuscule, but it was something. Gabriel hesitated, not wanting to say something that did the reverse. “And Jesse and I walked her home just fine. She’s with Jesse right now in the livingroom. It’s going to be OK.”   
  
Jack’s fingers flexed as his body seemed to lose some tension. He looked less like he was about to snap in half, at least. Gabriel sighed, figuring he should at least do something about the coffee stain. “That’s a little better. Come on, now, take some deep breaths. I’m going to take care of this spill, wait here,” as if Jack was going to go anywhere, anyway. Gabriel picked up the chunks of ceramic and walked carefully out of the room, remembering to close the door behind him before heading to the kitchen. He ran into Hana, worry etched in her features.    
  
“Where’s my dad?”   
  
Gabriel slid the bits of mug into his hoodie pocket to hide them as he patted Hana’s head. “He’s sleeping, he’s just a bit sick is all.”    
  
“Oh no daddy’s sick?” she clasped her hands together, “Oh no, does he have a fever. Let me-”   
  
“Woah woah,” Gabriel held her back, “calm down, let your dad rest.”   
  
“But I need to tell him something,” she let out, gripping at Gabriel’s pant leg.   
  
“Can I pass it on for you when he wakes up?”   
  
Hana worried at her lip before she nodded, “Sometimes he has really bad days, and he must have had a really bad day today. When he does, I always tell him, ‘Bad days are just days that are bad.’ Can you tell him for me?”   
  
He smiled, “of course.” The little girl brightened back up at him as he continued, “do you and Jesse want some pizza? I can order some delivery while you play some video games.”   
  
“YAY!” Hana jumped up. “Daddy never orders delivery!” Gabriel bit back a scowl when he heard his hijo shout from the other room, “TACO PIZZA.” Hana’s face lit up, “YES! TACO PIZZA!”   
  
“Alright, alright, go back to the living room.”   
  
When Hana was back with Jesse and excitedly chattering, Gabriel made his way into the kitchen and plopped the mug pieces in the trash. He quickly scrolled through his phone and ordered pizza online, remembering Jack had sent him the address to this house. Of course, he would never admit it to anyone, especially never Amélie, but it was easy to order when you have a saved order ready to go. One Large cheese, One Large taco.   
  
Gabriel shoved his phone back into his pocket and fished around for some paper towels and stain remover. Gabriel set out some bills on the counter as he called out, “Mijo, when the pizza guy gets here, answer the door. The money’s in the kitchen.” When he got his conformation from Jesse, he set back to the task at hand. He hurried back to the bedroom, finding Jack still right where he left him.   
  
Gabriel worked quickly to wipe up the small pits of ceramic and excess coffee before spraying the wood down with the stain remover. He let it soak while he threw away the damp paper towel. He returned to Jack’s side, who was still shaking, but significantly less so.   
  
Gabriel knelt down, still resisting the instinct to touch the man. “Your little girl’s worried about you.” He winced at the loud sob that shook Jack’s core, “she and Jesse are playing in the livingroom. She’s not alone.”   
  
Gabriel wasn’t sure what he was really doing, but something was working so he continued, “she’s such a sweet girl, and Jesse really likes her. You’ve raised her well, and you should be proud of that, Jack. You’re a good father to her. I can really tell she loves ya.” He sat down next to Jack and just kept going, watching the tension melt away from Jack’s body, like a thin sheet of ice melting under the sun. “You’re a good dad, and you shouldn’t be judged for what you do or the mistakes you make,”  _ I shouldn’t have judged you.  _ Gabriel let those words go unspoken as he carried on, “You know, I struggle to be a good dad for Jesse. I was much more of a distant, working father when I was still married to his mother. Not a bad one, I don’t think, but she was the one who took on most of the caregiving. When she left, I had to make huge changes in my life. I fucked up a lot. I forgot when Jesse had school in the mornings, when the bus dropped him off. I would forget dinners. I used to do these things to myself, but suddenly I was doing them to Jesse on accident. I felt horrible for the things I did, but I kept working at it until it go better. I did what I could to make Jesse happy, and everything else fell into place.”   
  
He turned his head and nearly jumped when he saw Jack’s eyes. Those beautiful blue orbs were rimmed in red and his face looked puffy and rough. “Hey Jack, you, uh… better?”   
  
“I’m sorry.” Gabriel raised an eyebrow. Now that Jack was no long curling in on himself like a hedgehog, he could see how stained his hoodie was with tears and coffee.   
  
“You should take a shower, man.” Gabriel took the small nod as something good and stood up, offer his hand down to Jack. It took a few seconds but Jack’s hand came up and Gabriel grabbed it, ignoring the feeble grip to pull the man up right.   
  
With a hand on Jack’s back, he guided him to the bathroom; he could still feel the way Jack’s body shivered but tried his best to ignore it. Gabriel flipped on the light and moved towards the shower stall. Jack seemed strangely helpless, standing before Gabriel like he was about to shatter. Gabriel didn’t hesitate as he helped Jack out of the hoodie that stuck to his front, feeling the way Jack leaned against his warm hands. Underneath the hoodie and baggy shorts, Jack was topless and wearing a pink jockstrap.    
  
While Gabriel remembers Jack shirtless in pink underwear very fondly, he didn’t feel aroused by seeing the man like this. It was intimate, holding Jack like this: palm on his waist as he helped Jack remove the garment, supporting him as if he would topple over in a moment. But it was a different kind of intimate. Soft. Kind.   
  
Once Jack sluggishly got into the shower and the hot water was turned on, Gabriel took the discarded clothes and left the bathroom. He went to the kitchen to grab some vinegar, finding the pizza boxes sitting on the counter; He could hear the kids laughing and playing video games. Gabriel smiled before moving to the wash room. The coffee stain on the hoodie was a decent size but nothing a bin of warm water and vinegar couldn’t handle. He set the hoodie to soak until he could load the washer and returned to the bedroom.   
  
By the time Gabriel got the bedroom cleaned up, the bathroom door creaked open. Gabriel turned, seeing Jack stand at the entrance in a pair of sweats. Sure he still looked like shit with red puffy eyes, but he looked like he was at least functioning again.    
  
Gabriel hadn’t realized they had been staring at each other under Jack finally cleared his throat, “I… Thank you.”   
  
Gabriel smiled, “no worries,” he started walking toward the door, “let me run the washer now that you're out.”   
  
“I’m sorry I’m such a fuck up.” Gabriel stopped and turned back to Jack, who was looking down at his feet, face scrunched up in a frown, “I can’t even handle myself, I can’t manage my anxiety like a normal person. I’m so pathetic and you had to deal with me.”   
  
“Woah, Jack.” Gabriel approached. He put his hand on Jack’s damp shoulder, surprised when Jack didn’t pull away. “It’s okay. It’s not the end of the world.” He paused and motioned over his shoulder. “Follow me.”   
  
Jack didn’t protest, instead he followed like a sad puppy as Gabriel walked out of the bedroom. He quietly walked around to the living room and motioned to Jack. Jack looked over and saw the two kids, too occupied with the video game to notice them. Two plates of pizza sat between them on the floor. Jesse sat the controller on his knee and used his right hand to move the cowboy on the screen.   
  
Jack’s face dropped as he watched in awe, probably expecting Hana to be confused, upset, or in trouble, but instead she was just fine.  
  
Gabriel stepped away and the two of them made their way to the back door. It was now rather dark out, both of the men stepping out into the grass with the stars above them. Jack took a deep breath, eyes gazing upward as Gabriel leaned against the house. “See? She’s fine.”   
  
“Yeah…”   
  
Gabriel crossed his arms, “so now that you are alive again, mind explaining to me what happened?”   
  
“It’s- it’s stupid,” Jack looked away pointedly.   
  
“Maybe,” Gabriel shrugged, ”but that doesn’t matter.”   
  
Jack let out a shaky breath before wrapping his arms against his chest. “I. I had commission work today. A bachelor party.”   
  
“Really? You do that sort of thing?”   
  
“I usually get paid very well for it, and I screen the requests to make sure they are legitimate, not just some guy trying to prank their friend with a gay stripper.”   
  
“Ok. So it seems like you have this thing on lockdown.”   
  
“I did,” Jack nodded. Gabriel raised an eyebrow.   
  
“And?”   
  
“One of the groomsmen was very drunk,” Jack bit his lip. “He was very belligerent, and when I told him I was a stripper not a prostitute, he tried to attack me.”   
  
“Shit, Jack. Are you ok? Did he-”   
  
Jack’s hands tightened against his biceps. “I threw him to the ground and walked out. I came back home and I made coffee. I was just so anxious to just forget about the whole ordeal or the fact that I didn’t make the tips I needed. I just wanted to drink some coffee and shower to scrub the gross off of me. And then I just. I spilled the coffee and I just...” He trailed off, leaving them in silence.   
  
The cogs in Gabriel’s head turned as he put the pieces together. “You… So that was. Was that an anxiety attack?”   
  
“I know it’s stupid! I should be able to handle myself, but I spilled coffee on my favorite hoodie and ruined my favorite mug and-” he froze when Gabriel spun him around, gripping his shoulders.   
  
“Jack. It’s not stupid, it’s reasonable, if anything,” Gabriel let out, intensely watching Jack as he leaned away. “Cariño, it’s okay,” suddenly Gabriel remembered what Hana had told him. “Jack, bad days are just days that are bad.”   
  
He was certainly not prepared for the way Jack reacted, the way he froze up before melting under Gabriel’s touch.  He certainly didn’t expect Jack to sob again. Gabriel panicked, worried that he just fucked up when Jack just pressed his hands to his face to clear the sudden tears away.   
  
“Shit, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. T-thanks,” Jack took in a deep breath and turned away, trying to turn off the water works as quickly as they started. Gabriel instinctively went to rub circles into Jack’s back.   
  
When Jack calmed down once more, Gabriel pulled away. He slipped his hand into his back pocket to pull out his pack and lighter. Jack turned around at the clicking of the lighter, the glow of the fire lighting up his face and hand as he brought the cig to life. Gabriel pocketed the pack and lighter and took a long drag of the cigarette before he returned his attention back to Jack. He didn’t realize Jack could go from sobbing to pissed in 20 seconds. Gabriel cocked his eyebrow at him as he pulled the stick back to his lips.   
  
“Yes?”   
  
“Really?”   
  
“I’m not about to take a lecture from a stripper about my smoking habit.”   
  
Jack scowled and approached Gabriel, “you forgot I’m also the firefighter who saved your ass from a cigarette fire.”   
  
Gabriel blew smoke in Jack’s face as his mouth twisted into a crooked smile, “I’m not forgetting.” Jack was unfazed by the smoke as he came face to face with Gabriel.   
  
“Give me that!” Jack yanked the cig from Gabriel’s lips. Just when he thought Jack would stomp it down and scold him, Jack pulled the stick to his own lips and pulled a drag from it. Gabriel stared, wide-eyed.   
  
“You smoke? Is that why you drink so much coffee? To hide the smell?” Gabriel was holding back his laughter even as he bubbled up a little. A firefighter who smoked. Was that even legal?   
  
Jack blew out a steady stream of smoke before scowling, “I _used_ to smoke and no. I just like coffee, shut up.” Jack tapped off the ashes before handing it back to Gabriel. “I was in the army, it was what we did to kill time and ourselves. I didn’t get addicted so I’m not a smoker like you.”   
  
Gabriel grinned and took the stick back, “you’re an asshole, you know that?”   
  
Jack stopped and turned away, digging his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants. “Why are you even here anyway?”   
  
Pausing to stare at Jack’s backside, Gabriel sighed. “I couldn’t leave your daughter at the bus stop and I certainly wasn’t going to leave you like that.”   
  
“No, I mean why are you trying to be so nice? Nice to a whore and an asshole?”   
  
Ouch. Gabriel winced, feeling his own words slung back at him like daggers straight into his chest. Not that he doesn’t deserve it. Gabriel stared down at his cigarette as it burned slowly, listening to insects of the night and the breathing between them.    
  
Gabriel cleared his throat and looked back up, “What I said was wrong. I regret every single word I said to you that night and I wish I could erase them. I was in a very bad place mentally, because Jesse was unhappy and lonely, I was unhappy and lonely. I have anger management issues after years of taking this shit out on myself…    
  
“But I took it all out on you. Those excuses don’t matter, they can’t excuse the fact that I took my own self-hating shit out on you.” The words felt like acid on his tongue, they hurt to dig up and say, but he had to. Gabriel took a drag of the cigarette to cover up the taste.   
  
“I can’t apologize the problem away for you. I realize I can’t make things better between us. And… Jack if you really want me to stop being nice to you, just,” he held back the bile in his throat, “just tell me to stop and I’ll leave and stay out of your life. I’ll walk away and Jesse and I will darken your doorstep no longer.

“But I’m standing here because you and your daughter have this ability to make my son happy again. This is the happiest he’s been in a long time. And if he’s happy, I can take your scorn as I deserve.”    
  
Seconds turned into minutes in the heavy silence; Jack stood in the grass, still facing away from him. Gabriel put out his cigarette and started for the door, “I’ll go get Jesse and head back home. I’m sorry.”    
  
Jack, finally, turned his head to Gabriel just before he reached the door. “No, no. It’s fine,” he breathed in slowly, “Hana likes Jesse too. And he’s a good kid. I understand what it feels like to hate yourself.” Gabriel turned to lock eyes with Jack; his expression unreadable as he spoke, “besides, Jesse still needs to learn how to play guitar. And if you do feel lonely, you’re still welcome at the club. And... Thank you for taking care of Hana.”   
  
Gabriel slowly nodded, unsure of what to say or how to respond to this odd grace of generosity. He turned and walked back into the house. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey yall I hope you have been enjoying my angst so far!  
> So I feel like I shouldn't have to explain myself to anyone, but I've decided I want to.  
> This work is inspired by events in my own life, with a purpose of conveying those real situations and feelings in a way that other people can experience.
> 
> If this chapter made you feel emotions, that means I did my job.
> 
> Thanks.


	7. Chapter 7

Friday was a busy night at the Fire in the Hole; Firemen Fridays were always popular. Jack worked the floor in the tight, flimsy pants and plastic hat, his jockstrap peeking out above the waistline. Jack zoned out as he went through the motions. Lap dances, deliver drinks, flirt, take money.  
  
Jack stood at the bar, watching Jamison shake up the drinks for table 7.   
  
“Been doin’ better this week, mate?”   
  
Jack grumbled in response and leaned against the counter. Jamison lifted an eyebrow as he poured out the shaker into two highball glasses.  “Come now, put on a smile,” Jamison grinned, getting at least a small quirk of the lips from Jack, “See? There’s a good man. Hey, Table 15. I know you ain’t waiting that side, but Tall ‘n Dark ‘n Handsome is back. He’s sitting alone in the booth.” Jack paused for a second, turning his head in the direction of the back left of the floor. ‘Tall ‘n Dark ‘n Handsome’ sat in his standard all black, short dark curls framing his face as he looked down into an empty rock glass.   
  
Jack sighed and turned his head back to Jamison, “He’s not that tall, Gabriel and I are the same height.”   
  
“Oh, he’s got a name, does he?” Jamison set 5 glasses on Jack’s tray, shit eating grin plastering his face. “Well, he’s lonely looking. An’ if it ain’t you, the others have been eyeing him.”   
  
Jack rolled his eyes and picked up the tray, not bothering to dignify Jamison’s shit with a response. He went back to table 7, flexing as he served up the drinks, resuming his usual performance for tips.   
  
Throughout the night, Jack’s eyes would occasionally wander back to Gabriel’s table. Sometimes he would be accompanied by his phone, but other times it would be another stripper. Some of them would be sitting next to him, arm thrown across his back, leaning close; others sat on the table itself, no doubt all of them flirting him up for a dance or session. However, even if there was a grin on his face or he was flirting up a storm back at the men, Jack always felt like he read something solemn in those piercing amber eyes.   
  
Jack tried to shake it, assuming the next time his gaze would wander over, the man would be gone, but he stayed at the club for a long time, the same empty glass set on the table. Jack soon decided he had enough and approached the bar again. He stepped in as Jamison worked on multiple orders and whipped up his own drink. A smoked glass, tequila, orange liqueur, lime, strawberries, and sriracha later, he strode over to the lone table with the solitary glass on his tray.   
  
“Someone order a sriracha berry margarita?” Jack said, smirking as Gabriel nearly jumped out of his skin.   
  
Gabriel looked up, eyes wide at the presence of Jack. “N-No?”   
  
“Ah, oh well, looks like it’s an extra. On the house then,” Jack shrugged and flipped a napkin out onto the table and set the margarita glass down. “Careful, it’s spicy.” When Gabriel eyed him warily, Jack rolled his eyes and sat down across from him, “It’s not going to kill you.”   
  
Gabriel hesitated before picking up the glass and taking a long sip. The surprise on his face told Jack that Gabriel hadn’t believed him. “Oh, that is spicy. I bet you can’t drink this at all,” Gabriel laughed as he set the drink down.   
  
Jack slung a shoulder across the booth back, “Nah, I like it. What you think a white boy can’t handle spicy food? I cook Korean food weekly.”

Gabriel cleared his throat and set the drink down, “ah. Sorry.” Gabriel peaked at the stage to give himself something to stare at before turning back to Jack. “You look silly in fake fireman duds.”  
  
Jack chuckled lightly and leaned back, kicking his legs up on the table. Gabriel eyes darted to the biker boots propped up on the table. “I’m not about to wear my real clothes to the club. Rubber boots and flame resistant clothes are bulky and unattractive.”   
  
Gabriel nodded and took another sip of the drink, “Jack. What would you consider this?”   
  
Jack paused, “it’s a margarita, Gabriel.”   
  
“No, no. This. Us. Like,” Gabriel set down the drink and gulped away the tension in his voice, “are we friends? Are we associated only through our children and nothing else? Is there anything between us?” Gabriel kept going, as if stopping would threaten his existence, “could there be something between us? Do you…. If I were to ask for a VIP session with you, would you give me a chance to do it over again?” He took a shaky breath when his lungs gave out on him.   
  
The thumping of the music slipped into the distant background between the two men in the booth.   
  
Jack’s arm slipped from the booth back as he shifted his legs to recross them on the table; Gabriel watched his movements intently. Jack chewed over the words in his head, but stopped when he saw Gabriel twitch, moving to leave the heavy situation like before. “I. I don’t think I want to go that far Gabriel,” he watched the man’s face twist unpleasantly in response, “but… Well, I haven’t had many friends since I became friends with my coworker and his wife. And by the way you spent 3 hours alone at a strip club on a Friday night, you look friendless too.” Gabriel was definitely scowling now, but Jack continued before the man could attempt to run, “I suppose we could. We could play nice. Friends like that. There’s no point keeping this grudge against you if I’m going to be subjected to you on a weekly basis.”   
  
“Are grudges that easy to file away for you?” Gabriel grit out, knuckles white against the table. Jack smiled, trying to put him at ease, even if Gabriel wasn’t looking at him.   
  
“Not for me. But they are for Hana.”   
  
“What the fuck won’t you do for Hana?” Gabriel’s frown twisted back into a mild grin   
  
“It seems like I set the bar a bit too high for myself when I scaled 4 stories of a burning building to save her.”   
  
Gabriel’s jaw dropped, relaxing back into the seat as he stared at Jack, “Shit, what?”   
  
Jack crossed his arms. “Yeah, I was stationed in Osan, South Korea for a year. One day I was exploring the town and I saw this burning apartment building, and most of the people had evacuated but everyone could hear her crying from the 4th floor balconies. In Korea, they use these ropes called lifelines for people to climb down from their balconies in case of emergencies, but she was stuck up there with no one to help her down. So I took one of the ropes and just started climbing until I found the balcony she was on.   
  
“She was the only one out on the balcony and her apartment was billowing with smoke. I couldn’t tell if there was anyone else in the apartment, but I grabbed her and climbed back down with her. She clung to me even when I tried to hand her over to the paramedics and police. So I stuck with her as the emergency responders put out the fire and searched the apartments.   
  
“I sat on the curb with her curled up into my fatigues while they searched for her parents. I think I sat there for about 3 hours when the police finally came back to me. She was asleep by then and my Korean was spotty, but I made out enough to of it to understand that they had found her parents in the apartment.”   
  
Gabriel swallowed down more of the margarita, wincing at the spice of the drink, “Jesus, Jack.”   
  
Jack leaned his head back, “ah, sorry. It’s a bummer,I know.”   
  
“Well, yeah, but how did you manage to adopt her since you weren’t related?”   
  
Jack looked down at the table and he frowned, “Well, I followed them to the Police station to contact her remaining family. Mother was estranged and father was a single child of parents long deceased. Hana would have had nowhere to go. I had a hard time bringing myself to wake her up and making her experience all this, so I instead called a friend on the air force base. She was a social worker who at least had connections for me.   
  
“When Hana woke up, she was still clinging to me as I fought to keep her out of the orphanage. She liked me, probably for saving her life, even though we could barely communicate. I was a dumb American and she was a five-year-old Korean girl. So I let my friend Angela look after her while I went back to the apartment and scavenged what I could of her belongings. By the time I returned to the base, I was able to sign her adoption papers and she slept with me on my shitty twin-sized bed.”   
  
“Why did you do it?”   
  
Jack leaned back and hummed, “honestly, I’m not entirely sure, but I don’t regret it now.”   
  
Gabriel looked at Jack, expression unreadable. “You are an interesting man Jack.”   
  
Jack just shrugged before standing,“well I should go back to floor duty. See you around.” As he walked away, he refused to look back at the table.   
  


* * *

  
  
The months seemed to fade together, school and work absorbing all their time, but the moment the calendar flipped to October, nearly everything changed overnight. When Jack walked to the bus stop on the 1st, there was a skeleton sitting on the Reyes’s patio, cobwebs and orange lights hanging from the railing. When Jack came over to the condo the next day to pick up Hana, the whole house was nearly painted black and orange. Jack got the jist; Gabriel loved Halloween.  
  
And now it was finally Halloween; when Hana and Jack showed up to the condo with her pink cardboard Gundam costume, Gabriel opened the door to reveal his jack-o-lantern/headless horsemen outfit (Jack couldn’t tell which it was supposed to be.) He even made Jesse a full blown cowboy outfit and his friend was wearing a handmade spider costume.  
  
Amélie was a rather standoffish woman who seemed to almost live with Gabriel; every time Jack came over to drop off or pick up Hana, Amélie would either answer the door or would be lounging on the couch with the remote in hand. This evening she was still lounging on the couch, but this time she was wearing a red felt hourglass shape on her chest and had 4 fake arms attached to her torso.  
  
Gabriel stood at the door with his pumpkin head tucked under his arm. “Amélie, remember when you give out candy, try not the scare the kids too much.”  
  
“Oui.”  
  
“Give the little kids the full size candy bars, the teenagers in costumes can have the fun size, and-”  
  
“Oui, oui, oui, and terrify the teenagers not in costumes,” she interrupted, waving him off.  
  
As they set off down the street, Jack began to worry that Hana would be upset about the quality of her costume, especially in comparison to Jesse’s, but Hana seemed oblivious as her and Jesse ran around each other, cardboard flapping in the wind. “BANG BANG BANG BANG I GOT YOU HANA!” “NUH HUH, I GOT YOU BACK!”  Jack knew he stuck out like a sore thumb more, being the only one not dressed up, his orange sweater the only attempt at embracing the holiday.  
  
Leaves crunch under their feet as they walked, wind blowing lightly thought the cool air, carrying the smell of crisp autumn evening.“You really go all out, huh?” Jack asked as he adjusted the sweater around his waist. He shoved his cold hands into his jean pockets, shoulders hunched up and pulled in tight to fend off the breeze.  
  
“Why don’t you?” Jack could hear the grin on Gabriel’s face, but he couldn’t see it beyond the jack-o-lantern head. Jack just sighed and turned to the kids.  
  
Throughout the evening, the men shared a strangely amicable silence as the kids chattered and jumped from house to house. Jack stood at the sidewalk as Hana and Jesse dashed up to the next house, Gabriel standing beside him as usual. Gabriel turned his head slightly as he cleared his throat. “Hana’s costume looks good,” Gabriel admitted, disrupting Jack from his thoughts.  
  
“Really?” Jack raised his eyebrows as he turned to Gabriel, coming to face the side of a pumpkin.  
  
“Yeah, really. It’s got heart,” Jack couldn’t see his face, but it almost sounded like Gabriel was smiling. “Costumes aren’t about how much money or skill you have, they are about how much you love dressing up, and she clearly loves it. She really does everything with heart.”  
  
Jack was taken aback by the complement, turning his head away to see the kids as they reached into an offered candy bowl. “Ah. Thanks. We spent a several hours this week painting and gluing it.”  
  
Gabriel turns to Jack, “You really should have dressed up Jack.”  
  
“Hm,” Jack hummed, burying his hands more into his pockets, “maybe next year.”  
  
“Next year, huh? You should definitely dress up as Captain America. You already got the golden boy look.”  
  
Jack hummed, the words echoing in his head. He eyed the way the house’s windows lit up with orange string lights and smokey cobwebs. When Jack looked back down to the kids as they ran back up, his heart warmed to the joyful smile on Hana’s face.  
  
The glowing orange of the house reminded him that seeing her happy was the most important thing to him; since the day he met her, he wanted to see her smile. The way her lips curled softly and her eyes glittered was perfect. She deserved to have that smile on her face everyday.

He recalled her hands shaking as they turned tight white against his jacket, dark hair a mess, lips quivering, and eyes lacking sparkle as they were flooded with tears and pain. This girl he didn’t know clung to him for dear life as he held the rope with one hand. She refused to unfurl her fingers from him, even when a paramedic tried to coax her with soft murmurs Jack couldn’t understand. He held onto her as he looked up at the orange and grey of the sky, wondering if her parents were outside or inside.   
  
As he sat on the curb, protecting the small body from the cold, her eyes peaked out from wet fabric, weary and red. She stared up at him,-Jack staring back-unsure if he knew enough to communicate with the girl. Just before she fell asleep from exhaustion, she spoke.   
  
_“당신은 Captain America 입니까?”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “당신은 Captain America 입니까?” - [“dangsin-eun Captain America ibnikka?”] Are you Captain America?
> 
> It's Cool Dad Diet, now with 85% less angst.


	8. Chapter 8

Jack wondered how he really did feel about Gabriel. It was hard to say, if he was to be honest with himself. He had dropped the grudge for the sake of Hana’s happiness and as he found himself in Gabriel’s company more, he grew to like the man. They had a friendship, so to speak. They seemed to have quite a bit in common. The only problem was that Gabriel’s previous actions had not been forgiven and forgotten   
  
How did a man go from request a lap dance from a male stripper to shouting homophobic slurs at the same man the next day? Well, Jack actually knew it wasn’t that much of a stretch.  
  
Gabriel had started making weekly appearances at the club, usually sitting alone at the bar and watching the show from a distance. At first, Jack felt obligated to make him drinks and chat with him between runs and dances, though that did start changing.   
  
At first their conversations were idle chit chat of “how’s the kid,” and “how’s work,” but sometimes the conversations went deep.   
  
“I wonder what Padre would think of me now,” Gabriel mumbled into the empty glass in his hands, swishing the muddled contents at the bottom.   
  
Jack looked towards Gabriel to see the crestfallen look. “My old man wouldn’t have much good to say, but he’s not around anymore,” Jack spoke softly, his mind drifting to his own parents. “It’s… It’s not his life to live anyway.”   
  
“You’re right,” Gabriel said, lifting the highball and shifting it back and forth, watching the remains of a mojito swirl about. “Growing up, Padre would grumble into the newspaper, saying things I thought were normal. He would drag my brother and I to church, lecturing us on the way good Catholics should act. He believed good Catholic men settle down early with good Catholic women and have good Catholic children. And anyone who deviated from that was a sinner. I let those ideas dictate my life, even when he left mi madre and I dropped out of school to do stupid shit with my life.”   
  
Jack knew those feelings all too well. He knew them from his own past, and he had an ‘inkling’ of what was the demon haunting Gabriel. “Well you’re here now. And you changed.”  
  
“Did I?” The question dripped with a bitter venom. Jack set clean glasses down and looked to Gabriel with a frown.  
  
“You did. You’re a good man, Gabriel. Sometimes these things come back to bite all of us, but that doesn’t negate the fact that you are a kind man and a good father.” It was a pep talk to Gabriel, but it was also a confession from Jack, as well. Gabriel had shown nothing but kindness towards him over the past few months, and Jack had finally admitted that.  
  
Gabriel had noticed, the way he looked at Jack was like Jack had just confessed he was three penguins in a suit. Gabriel’s shocked expression quickly changed; however, to a smile.  
  
“Thank you, Jack,” he breathed out. Jack smiled back and went back to putting fresh glasses away when Gabriel spoke up again. “Jack, you said your dad passed away?”   
  
Jack nodded, “Old man had a heart attack about 13 years ago, and Maw passed away just before I adopted Hana. Maw had seen me off to boot camp, but she and my old man never realized I was gay and probably would not have approved of me adopting a Korean girl or working at a strip club.” He thought about what he just said, realizing how homophobic and racist he probably had made his parents sound, “I mean, they were okay folks, just a bit...traditional.”   
  
Gabriel snorted and slid the empty glass away from himself, leaning back in his seat, “Sure. Padre was a shit head, but mi madre was the sweetest, may she rest in peace.”   
  
Jack paused and looked at Gabriel. “What are your plans for Christmas?”   
  
Gabriel shrugged, “Probably watch some T.V. and make tamales with Jesse.”   
  
Resting against the bar counter, Jack smiled, “Hana and I go over to our neighbors house. Wil is a big believer in ‘the more the merrier.’ He makes a damn good smoked ham and I know Ana would love to make tamales.” There was a radiance to the way Gabriel’s face lit up. Seeing the gloominess melt away and that smile truly take hold make something in Jack’s chest warm up.   
  
“That sounds wonderful.”  
  
  


* * *

  
  
Over the course of several months, Gabriel went from infrequent appearances at the club to becoming a notable regular, even making friends with other regulars. The man weaseled his way into an easy friendship with Jamison, Mako, and even a few other strippers along the way.  
  
On most nights, Gabriel would sit at the bar and mingle, chatting with Jack any time he made his way back to the bar. Jack decided he didn’t mind: Gabriel always left good tips, he always waited patiently, and the conversations were always relaxing, even on the busiest of days.

Tonight, Gabriel was sitting in his regular seat, empty glass passing between his hands as he conversed with another patron, smile drawn across his face. “Gabriel, another drink?” Jack asked as he slipped back into the bar to prepare a few glasses. It was a busy night, and with Jamison was working non stop, Jack had to be prepared to pick up the shakers before he had to hit the stage.  
  
“Oh, no thanks, close out my tab, actually,” he threw a smile to Jack, who paused before nodding and setting up a few shakers. After a quick detour to the register, he turned back to meet the Gabriel’s backside; he was turned away from the bar, attention drawn to another stripper.  
  
Casually walking up and setting the bill and pen in front of Gabriel, Jack turned his attention to the other stripper briefly. “Hey Dale,” he nonchalantly greeted before Dale threw Jack a coy smirk. Jack tried not to be bothered by the way he caressed Gabriel’s bicep. Gabriel was just a friend. As he went back to mix up a few cocktails, Jack watched Gabriel sign the check, his eyes explicitly avoiding Dale. With his usually large tip scribbled out, Gabriel stood and followed Dale away. Jack tried to tear his eyes away, but Jack definitely noticed Dale and Gabriel walking to the private rooms.  
  
“Jack!” He swiveled his head to meet the eyes of Jamison. Jack turned his attention back to the shakers, grumbling and attempting to deflect that knowing look from the Aussie.

When closing rolled around, Jack busied himself with putting away clean glasses, the encounter with Dale and Gabriel almost forgotten since he watched Gabriel walk out the door with a smile. Jack pretended it was forgotten, at least, since he had no intention of stepping into the changing room lest he risk running into Dale.  
  
“Jack, mate, we need to chat.” Jack nearly shot up and hit his head on the bar, caught off guard by the presence of Jamison behind him. Jack pulled himself away from the lower shelves and pushed himself to his feet to see not just one, but two concerned faces. Mako sat at the bar with Jamison standing in front of Jack’s exit. They were far too smart for Jack’s avoidance tactics.   
  
“Yeah?” Jack leaned against the bar casually, “about what?”  
  
“You know about what, Jack. You looked about ready to smash Dale’s head in today. You know I’m lax about rules ‘round here, I won’t have you fighting the other blokes.” Jamison tapped his hollow foot against the floor, waiting for Jack to explain himself. Mako silently watched, but Jack knew he echoed the same sentiment.  
  
He sighed in defeat, turning to the bar to rest his forearms against it. “I’m sorry.”   
  
"Ah, come on, don’t give us that, you know we ain’t that angry,” Jamison said, stepping over a putting a hand on Jack’s shoulder. “What’s Gabriel to you, anyway?”  
  
Jack gazed up, meeting the concerned eyes of Mako. “I… I don’t know. A friend? I don’t know how it happened, but he went from an enemy to a friend… to someone I appreciate? We’re in the same boat, two gay men from religious families raising children alone.”   
  
“And he is a handsome fella, huh?” Jamison smiled, “You got the hots for him, don’t ya?” Jack felt the embarrassment crawl up his neck into his cheeks, burying his head between his shoulders. Jamison just chuckled and patted him on the back, “Ah, if you like him, no shame, just say something. That’s how I got Mako,” he snickered as he flashed his wedding band. “If you give’m a wristy behind the curtains, Mako and I will look the other way. Just don’t get any jizz on the cushions, alright?”   
  
“JAMISON!” Jack turned around, the blush flooding his whole face, but Jamison was already bouncing away. He jerked his head towards Mako to see the snide, knowing look before storming off to the dressing room to be frustrated alone.

 

* * *

 

It seemed that Jamison and Mako were not the only ones who wanted to stick their noses in Jack’s business.  
  
As Jack watched Hana bounce into Ana and Wil’s house arm-in-arm with Fareeha, Ana stood up from her chair and looked to him. “Jack, do you have some time before work? Let me make you a cup” She was already walking to the door to the porch, her long braid of graying hair trailing behind her.  
  
“No no, that’s okay,” he waved at her before stuffing his hands back into his hoodie pocket. “We can talk if you want.”  
  
“Wil and I have just been wondering about Gabriel. He’s such a nice man and-”  
  
“Ana,” Jack growled out in warning.  
  
“Look, we enjoyed his company when he came over for Christmas, and you spend plenty of time with him,”  
  
“Ana don’t do this,” He grumbled and looked away. Ana sighed and pulled Jack in by the shoulders, her surprising strength keeping him in place. “We care about you, Wil and I,” she spoke softly, looking up at him with a warm smile. “We want you to be happy.”  
  
“Ana please, Gabriel is just a friend,” he shrugged her away and started for his house.  
  
“Jack, I know how he looks at you.”  
  
Jack nearly tripped before retreating, pretending he didn’t hear the woman laugh at him.  
  
His humiliation didn’t end with Ana. While Jack was sitting in his hoodie in the dressing room, his phone buzzed to life with a new text.  
  
[He likes you.]  
  
Jack stared at the screen and the unknown phone number for a moment before typing out.  
  
[Whos this?]  
  
[Amélie. I stole your number off of Gabriel’s phone.]  
[He’s has always had feelings for you. I’m sick of him stepping around his affections, you need to fix it.]  
  
He was glad he was alone in the dressing room, he was not about to explain to anyone why he was staring slack jawed at his screen. He shut his mouth and scowled as he texted back.  
  
[Not my fault]  
  
[Non, it definitely is.]  
[I don’t see how it isn’t your fault. He’s in love with you and you did that to him.]  
[He’s a brash, irrational asshole and has temper tantrums he doesn’t actually mean.]  
[But he hasn’t genuinely cared about someone since the witch left him and broke his heart.]  
[He’s shy about it. A man who is confrontational as his line of work, he is horrible at being direct.]  
[He keeps avoiding the topic, he stays quiet about something he cares so much about. He doesn’t act upon his heart.]  
[He’s too afraid to fix it himself, so you need to be the one to fix it.]

Jack watched the texts come in from Amélie, one after the other, all eloquently typed. Jack shook his head and texted back.   
  
[What makes you think Im interested?]

There was a several minutes where he didn’t get a response, but as he was slipping out of his sweatpants, the phone buzzed again.  
  
[No man willingly puts up with an asshole daily. If you weren’t interested, you would make excuses about work or errands instead of actively spending time with him.]  
[Even children could notice the way you stare at his backside.]  
  
Jack paused, staring down at the phone even as the screen went black. He looked up at the mirror to see the blush peeking along his cheeks.  
  
Jack realized those feelings- the tightness and warmth in his chest- were interest he had been bitterly denying. For what? Because of one interaction of hundreds, an interaction that Gabriel didn’t deserve to be solely judged by.   
  
He realized it was time to forgive and forget.   
  
It was okay to forgive and forget.

 

* * *

  
  
Jack came off the stage, his intricate, blue jockstrap and leather boots stuffed with bills and faux-leather jacket draped over his shoulder. He didn’t have to close today, and he would usually be satisfied to shove the money in his sweatpants and go home, but instead he put the sweatpants back into the locker and went back out onto the floor, finding Gabriel sitting alone at a hightop table.  
  
“Alone tonight?” Jack said, walking up behind Gabriel. Jack paid attention to the way Gabriel’s face lit up at his appearance, something that had been there for months that Jack hadn’t noticed. He really hadn’t noticed the way Gabriel looked at him.  
  
“Ah yeah. Great performance. Are you closing?” He questioned, setting his drink down. Jack didn’t miss the way Gabriel’s eyes wandered downward before quickly adjusting back to Jack’s face.   
  
“No, but I figured I could hang out for a bit,” Jack smirked before sliding into the seat next to Gabriel. “How’s Jesse?”   
  
Gabriel hummed and shifted into the seat back, sliding the drink away from himself. “He’s good, he’s really excited that Hana’s in the same homeroom this year… Jack it’s been a whole year.” Jack nodded in agreement, watching Gabriel hesitate before he continued, “Last year today, we met.”   
  
“Really?” Jack looked at the “WE ID” clock at the bar before turning his attention back to Gabriel, “The day you asked for a VIP or the day you yelled at me?”   
  
“Hey! I’m sorry!”    
  
Jack chuckled and leaned on the bar. “No you’re right. So? Why do you bring it up?” He raised his eyebrow at the way Gabriel sputtered, looking clearly uncomfortable.   
  
“I uh,” he cleared his throat, “I was wondering if I could get a little lap dance, nothing big, for the nostalgia? I mean if you don’t want to, we certainly don’t have to I was just putting it out there,” he quickly let out, backpedaling on his request. Jack stared at him, watching as Gabriel suddenly looked a lot smaller, concerned, and definitely afraid of Jack’s assumed negative response. Jack saw an opportunity he wouldn’t have previously. So he took it.   
  
He grinned, stepping out of his seat to get close to Gabriel. He let his hand on the table slide itself onto Gabriel’s arm. “You don’t want a VIP session?” Jack nearly doubled over in laughter at the way Gabriel’s eyes bugged out of their sockets; but he resisted. Instead he stepped a bit closer into Gabriel’s space   
  
“What?”   
  
“I’m offering,” Jack murmured, smirking as he trailed his fingers along the muscles of Gabriel’s arm.   
  
Gabriel grabbed Jack’s hand and stood, pulling himself into Jack’s space as well. They were chest to chest as the man leaned over into Jack’s ear and whispered, “Holy shit, I thought you’d never ask.”   
  
Their hands tied together in vice grips, Jack pulled Gabriel along through the crowd. He didn’t bother eye the bar, and certainly he didn’t look Mako in the eye when they walked to the privacy rooms. They said they would look the other way.   
  
Beyond an unoccupied curtain was a dimly lit and quiet room. Gabriel leaned back in the large cushy chair before Jack turned around to face the music player. He took his time picking his song, knowing Gabriel was admiring the view of the jockstrap.   
  
Jack swayed his hips as he walked back, letting them move to the sound of the music, the eye contact between the men alluring rather than uncomfortable. Jack moved silently, approaching the chair and setting a knee on Gabriel’s thigh. Gabriel’s eyes finally broke away from the solid blue of Jack’s to admire his muscular leg, hand quick to roam his outer thigh, fingers dancing along the elastic on his upper thigh.   
  
Jack smirking, putting a hand on a sturdy shoulder as he worked his hips and waist to the music, slowly moving himself closer. His knee slide off to the side of Gabriel’s thigh as he pushed his other knee onto the seat cushion as well, bracketing Gabriel and situating himself on top.   
  
The way Gabriel looked up at Jack was mesmerizing. There was a strange affection in the darkness of his eyes, something Jack would have never thought to see, but it made that feeling he had harbored for months coil just a bit tighter in his chest. Jack let both of Gabriel’s arms wrap around his moving waist, one hand trailing up under his jacket and other other hooking itself in one of the straps of his jock. Jack breathed out, lowering his body closer to Gabriel’s as he rolled his hips to the distant music.   
  
Gabriel’s lap was warm, and his gaze from under those lashes even warmer. Jack smirk had shifted into a lazy smile but he certainly didn’t correct it as his hands moved to the collar of Gabriel’s shirt. They were so close, with Jack’s hips pressed against Gabriel’s definitely hard groin and his bare front pressing softly against Gabriel’s.   
  
It was at this moment that Jack eyed Gabriel’s lips. They were so soft, large, and inviting. Jack was unsure when he stopping dancing, but he stopped caring and instead moved a finger up to caress Gabriel’s lower lip.   
  
Gabriel’s eyes never left Jack’s as he moved his head down, hovering close as those solid arms wrapped tighter around him. Jack hesitated but ultimately gave into the desire, letting his nose press against Gabriel’s before he titled his head oh-so-slightly and pressed his lips to Gabriel’s.   
  
They were just as soft as they looked, Jack’s heart jumping and warmth spreading through his chest as his eyes fluttered closed, relishing in the sensation. Gabriel only pulled him closer, preventing Jack from separating their lips even if Jack wanted to. He didn’t; he wanted more.   
  
Jack pressed in more, their lips moving in tandem and opening up to each other. Gabriel’s tongue darted out to meet his own, eliciting a soft moan from his throat. Gabriel tasted sweet and bitter at the same time, like an addicting beverage. Jack could taste a small amount of alcohol along with the acrid taste of smoke, but the undertones of sweetness made Jack dive his tongue in for more.   
  
Their hands roamed, exploring and embracing as Jack felt himself float into the clouds. Every touch of fingers against his bare skin felt like sparks of magic, and the press of their lips made his skin tingle with elation.   
  
Jack could have easily drowned in the touch. It had been so long, years, since he had been so close to one person and even longer since he had become so intimate with anyone. But Gabriel stopped Jack from suffocating in sensation, pulling away let both of them breathe in each other. Jack gasped to fill his lungs back up, eyes opening to meet the adoring look from Gabriel.   
  
“I’ve been waiting for so long to do that,” Gabriel murmured, hand soothing up and down Jack’s backside.   
  
“Maybe if you weren’t such an asshole in the beginning, we would have gotten here sooner?”   
  
“You’re no saint yourself, Jack.” The words had no bite, no flame, they only drifted between and blending into the ambience of music.   
  
“What now?” Jack asked softly.   
  
“Whatever you want,” Gabriel responded, his hands loosening lightly on Jack’s back, providing Jack an exit, giving Jack pause. Amélie was right, Gabriel had always had feelings for Jack, always remained close, but always provided Jack his exits, let Jack run the show. Gabriel never acted upon the impulse in his brain after it got him in trouble the first time.    
  
But Jack didn’t want that anymore.   
  
“No, I like this,” Jack breathed out. “I want this.”   
  
“So do I.”   
  
Jack traced Gabriel’s strong neck and jawline before cupping his cheek and leaning in close. “Then let’s stay like this,” Jack said, kissing him again. Gabriel hummed softly in agreement as he opened his mouth again to Jack’s.   
  
When they eventually pulled away from the kiss, Jack remained in Gabriel’s lap, the dance forgotten just to stay in the embrace. Gabriel’s hand explored Jack, as if memorizing each muscle and birthmark.   
  
Jack was also taking the time to admire the man before him. His fingertips trailed the tattoos on his arms. Gabriel didn’t have many, and was usually wearing long sleeve black shirts, so Jack never noticed them in the early months as acquaintances. But after this long, he was finally close enough to see the detail in the ornate cross that decorated one wrist and the stylized shot gun that covered the other. It reminded Jack that Gabriel was a complexed man. There were two sides of that man that must have been warring for years.   
  
Jack knew that feeling intimately. He knew it and admired Gabriel for facing that battle and coming out a better man. Jack didn’t know the entirety of Gabriel’s story nor did he expect to know every detail, but Gabriel was still a complexed man who let a less than perfect life. And yet, he still strived every day to do what was right for his child.   
  
He and Gabriel really did have quite a bit in common.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH WOW. LOOKY THERE. GOSH GOLLY, THIS SLOW BURN DID BURN SLOW.  
> Ok so like, it took a while. Both to get to the kissy kissy and to actually get a new chapter. Bad things (and good things) happened in my life. Got sick, made the decision to quit my job and move to the city, started the job search phase, traveled, got REALLY REALLY SICK, traveled some more, etc. But it's here, it got reworked twice, but it's here.  
> With that said though, the next several weeks are definitely going to be more hectic than the last. There are other fic(s) that will get my attention throughout the rest of the year, but I must put this fic on a hiatus. There may be an update by the end of the year, but I absolutely promise that this fic will see at least a few more chapters to come.
> 
> Fun part:  
> Some more amazing art from the amazing Orenjimaru  
> [](http://orenjimaru.tumblr.com)  
>    
> And special thanks to the lovely PinkRambo for helping make this chapter possible, and to my lovely friends of the R76 discord for being so lovely.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... It's been 6 months. A lot happened in 6 months, but I hope people are still interested in seeing this fic continue!  
> Super special thanks to PinkRambo for being the best and encouraging me and betaing this fic. <3 PinkRambo is incredibly understanding, a kind soul, a fantastic writer, an amazing roleplay buddy, a better discord admin than me, and just all around the best.  
> Warning: this chapter includes explicit content including smut. (You're welcome.)

 

Things definitely started to change between the two men and everyone had taken notice. At the firehouse, Wilhelm pestered Jack about his plans.   
  
“Ana and I discussed it, our offer to take Hana for sleepovers extends if you have any date plans.” Jack choked on his 4th cup of coffee. With an indignant sputter, he glared up at Wilhelm with a look that read of a thinly veiled threat. Wilhelm laughed and put his hands up, “we’re serious, you deserve to have nights off from parenting. Especially if you and Gabriel get intima-”   
  
“WIL! WE ARE AT WORK!” Jack slammed down the coffee mug, coffee splashing his hand. When his friend broke into a belly-shaping laughter, Jack’s face went red with utter embarrassment before he stormed off to go work on paperwork alone- probably in a corner, or the back of a truck.

Jack hoped the conversations would end. However, children were always far smarter than parents gave them credit for. Jack was blissfully ignorant of this for a while before Hana spoke up.   
  
They were lounging on the couch on Jack’s night off. He finally decided to crack into his long-forgotten liquor with a rum and coke, watching Hana play video games. The quiet father-daughter bonding time came to an end when Hana spoke up. “Daddy?”   
  
“Yeah, girly?”   
  
“Do you like Jesse’s Dad?” She paused the game to look up at him with such an endearing smile.   
  
“Yeah, he’s a good dad to Jesse,” he smiled back.   
  
“No, no. Like,” her face scrunched up as she thought about the words, “Do you  _ like like  _ Jesse’s Dad? Like how Uncle Rein and Aunty Ana like each other.”   
  
Shit. “Uh… Well,” shit shit shit shit. “Where did you get such an idea?” He tried to counter. He wasn’t quite sure how he was suppose to respond. Was he going to have to explain to Hana being gay? How was she going to take it? What was stirring up in that little head of hers?   
  
“Well, Uncle Rein always has this smile on his face when he looks at Aunty Ana. It’s not like a normal smile. It’s like a special smile. And he really really likes Aunty Ana a ton. And you looked at Jesse’s Dad like that, too.” Her smile was so sweet and innocent. Jack felt like he could get a tummy ache looking at it. 

He caved. Jack sighed and put his drink down on the coffee table. With a old-man grunt he lifted her up into his lap and pulled her close. “Girly, they love each other, that’s what Uncle Reinhardt’s smile is, love. And I share that same feeling about you. I love you so much because you are my daughter. And sometimes grown men also love each other like that, yeah.”    
  
Hana, the sweet thing, looked up at him and responded softly, “so do you?”   
  
Jack felt his cheeks stretch at the size of his smile, “Yeah, I do love Jesse’s Dad.” She flashed him a huge smile back. He closed his eyes when Hana’s arms wrapped around him tightly, a sigh of relief leaving his lips.

 

* * *

  
  
It was Saturday, and the strip club was even busier than usual, leaving Jack no room to relax. He wore a tight pair of faux leather pants as he worked the floor, rather uncomfortable but it brought in tips. He kind of wished he had Gabriel at the club to distract him, but the man did not make an appearance tonight. Probably for the best, in all honesty. He didn’t need Jamison calling him out for “smackin’ with the boyfriend” in the middle of the crowded floor.    
  
However, as it was, Jack felt on edge without having some sort of stress relief. There were no breaks for him, and then, just as he was about ready to head on back and go home, his path was blocked off by another worker. “Hey, all the other strippers are busy. Can you take the private session. Curtain 2?”   
  
Jack grumbled but accepted. Slipping into the dressing room to grab a leather vest, he headed on down. A brief nod to Mako before walking into the private room. Just a quick VIP lap dance, make a few bucks more, and call it a night. Real simple, Jack could do simple even with how bone-deep exhausted he was.

As he swayed his hips, he couldn’t help but notice how handsome his customer was. He was tattooed, broad in the shoulders, dark skin, and smelled of smoke. The man holler as Jack’s vest dropped to the floor. However, Jack didn’t quite hear it. He didn’t focus on the client at all, his mind replaced the client with an even more handsome face, black curls, and smooth voice. He wanted Gabriel to be here instead, it was more comfortable to Jack.   
  
Turning around to let the man admire his ass as he rolled the leather pants down, he imagined Gabriel being the only one to see him in a black jockstrap. When he moved into the man’s lap and gyrated his hips to the beat, he imagined Gabriel’s hands on his waist instead. Jack probably would have thought he had a type, but rather he was just interested in Gabriel. He wasn’t bothered by the stray touches to his backside and chest, the more intimate sensation of skin against skin, because he was imagining Gabriel touching him in that way.

When time was up and the lights brightened, Jack looked down at his client and his illusion shattered. With his payment in hand, he couldn’t have darted out of that private session fast enough. The drive home felt like it took a million years, but he just wanted to be home and alone to deal with these feelings. It was almost a blessing to get off work early, to get home around midnight and still have a few more hours to himself, but then it didn’t feel right. It felt horrible.

Standing in his sweatpants and hoodie, looking around at his darkened house, he usually felt calmed by the absence of people. But now he felt suffocated.  
  
Oh God, it had been a long time since Jack had been this horny.

Jack leaned against the kitchen counter, trying to use the cold granite top as if to cool himself off. Or ground him. One or the other. But when that wasn’t working, he took a deep breath and thought of how he was going to deal with this. He could just masturbate in the shower and shovel the feeling away. But his brain was not so willing to repress anymore.   
  
Reaching into his pocket while trying to debate with himself, he pulled out his phone. Jack stared at the message for a while until he just closed his eyes and pressed send.

To: Gabriel Reyes

[Are you still awake? Want to come over?]

Jack wasn’t sure how long he stood there, phone in hand, just waiting. Finally, giving up on his silly idea, he decided repression was the way to go. He shucked off his clothes on his way to the shower. The hot water did wonders to sooth him, comfort him as he stood under it. He washed his hair and body first before he figured he would attend to the problem between his legs.

DING DONG

Jack nearly jumped out of his skin when the doorbell rang through the quiet house. He paused, not quite processing why his doorbell rang at nearly 1 AM in the morning when it struck him. Quickly turning the water off and bolting out of the shower, he grabbed a towel and looped it around his waist as he hurried to the door. Standing before it was Gabriel, dressed in a black shirt and dark sweat pants..   
  
“Hey, iiiiss everything okay? What’s with the text?” Gabriel crossed his arms, looking Jack up and down. He kept a neutral face for someone who was face to face with a wet, half-naked man.   
  
“U-uh, yeah. I, uh, got off work early,” he shivered as the cold blew in. “Please come in… I just… Want to see you.” Jack ushered Gabriel in, one hand tight on the terry cloth at his hips. “I’m sorry, you didn’t have to come over, it was a stupid idea.”   
  
Closing the door behind him, Gabriel followed Jack into the kitchen, eyes roaming the towel. “No worries, guess I should have called to make sure. I thought it might have been important,” Gabriel shrugged. “This might be the first time I’ve been in here and it hasn’t smelled like coffee.” A small chuckle emitted from his throat as he leaned against the kitchen counter. “So?”   
  
“So?” Jack turned around to see Gabriel, flushing when he say those eyes full of expectation. He was frazzled, unsure of what to do next. He was already trying to repress his urges when Gabriel decided to ring his doorbell, and now it was all welling back up under his skin. “I-I’m sorry, I’m still so wired, I don’t  think I can go to sleep. I just figured we could spend some time if you-”   
  
“Is this what I think it is?” Gabriel’s lips spread wide in a toothy grin. He pushed himself off the counter and approached Jack.   
  
Jack looked pointedly away as the man approached him, “W-what do you think this is?”  
  
“Oh come on, Jack. You can come out and say it.” Gabriel stood face to face with Jack, hands hovering, ready to reach out and grab Jack. “You want to fuck?”   
  
Normally, he would have out right rejected such a blunt proposition. But it was after midnight, Hana was at the next house over for the rest of the night, and Jack was unbelievable horny. “God yes. Please?” He looked at Gabriel with wide eyes, cheeks red hot.   
  
“So polite,  _ carñio _ ,” Gabriel murmured as his hands finally touched Jack’s waist. He pushed Jack until his back was against the refrigerator, tilting his head and leaning in.   


The kiss turned from soft and sweet to hot and steamy in seconds, teeth scraping and tongues battling.  Jack could taste the acrid-yet-smooth taste of coffee, creamer, and cigarettes that fueled Gabriel’s late night and fueled the fire in Jack’s stomach. He let the towel drop to the ground as Gabriel’s body pressed against him; the cool metal of the refrigerator on his backside and the heat of skin against his front made Jack shudder.  He felt like he could drown in the overwhelming rush of sensations, and he wouldn’t mind at all.   
  
He didn’t drown, however, resurfacing when Gabriel’s lips pulled away from his. Jack chased them, only to earn a finger against his lips and a deep chuckle. “Shit, that was hot. You got a great set of lips,” Gabriel murmured, eyes burning with lust, “I’d like to see them around my cock.”   
  
Jack felt the heat rise in his cheeks, “Gabriel!” He didn’t want to admit that the smooth flirting went straight to his own arousal, but it was hard to hide when it was pressed against Gabriel’s hip. Gabriel only chuckled again with a smirk, sliding a hand down Jack’s waist before slipping his hand to the waistband of his pants, tugging it down to free his own erection. Jack looked down and bit his lip as their dicks rubbed together; Gabriel was nearly the same size as Jack, perhaps a bit shorter, but he was thick, dusky, pink head peaking out from the foreskin.    
  
“Mmm, come on, Jack. You don’t need to be a blushing virgin with me.”   
  
“I’m not a blushing virgin,” Jack’s attention snapped back up to Gabriel, scowling at his smug expression.   
  
“Before we go any further, you got a preference? I’m Vers.” Gabriel wrapped his hand around both of their cocks and stroked lazily, humming at the feeling. Jack couldn’t help it, breathing out a soft sigh as his head fell back against the refrigerator.   
  
“Damn it, just fuck my ass already.”   
  
Gabriel tsked, slowing his hand down further, “not yet. HIV?”   
  
“No, damn it, I haven’t been fucked in ages,” Jack mumbled out, irritation creasing his brow.   
  
“I’m clean too. Condoms?”   
  
“I don’t have any,” Jack admitted, “and I don’t care.”   
  
Laughing, Gabriel let go of Jack’s cock, pressing kisses to Jack’s cheek, “So impatient. Fine, let’s get to the good part.” He pulled back, moving to lean against the countertop as he tucked the band of his sweatpants behind his balls. Jack definitely took the hint, stepping forward and getting onto his knees. He took Gabriel’s cock in hand, pressing his nose to the hair at the base and taking a slow inhale of Gabriel’s musk. Jack’s eyes moved up to Gabriel as he ran his tongue up the shaft, feeling the large hand move through his hair. The hand tightened around a chunk of light blond, encouraging Jack to stop teasing and take the length into his mouth.   
  
Jack didn’t hesitate after that, eyes fluttering closed as he lavished Gabriel’s cock. His tongue swirled and slipped into the foreskin, focusing on the glans. He could hear Gabriel’s breath hitch above him, his fingers curling in Jack’s locks. Humming softly, Jack bobbed his head up and down, tilting slightly as his tongue massaged the underside of the shaft. Jack elated in the breathy moans that filled the room. It didn’t take long before he heard, “S-shit Jack, I’m close.” He didn’t relent, lapping and suckling Gabriel’s cock. When Gabriel’s hand pushed Jack down, Jack complied, lips flush with the base of Gabriel’s cock as he nosed at the coarse hair. He felt Gabriel’s cock twitch and jerk in his mouth, cum hitting the back of his throat.   
  
Gabriel’s hand fell away. Jack opened his eyes and looked up as he pulled his mouth off Gabriel’s cock. He licked away the spit on his lip as he swallowed. Gabriel leaned against the counter, hand pressed over his eyes as his breath came out ragged, light-headed from his orgasm. “F-fuck. Are you sure you ‘haven’t been fucked in ages?’”   
  
Jack stood up with a small snicker, “just because I haven’t seen action in a few years doesn’t mean I forgot how to do it.” He pulled Gabriel into a searing kiss, his hand pulling Gabriel’s away. Gabriel’s hand evaded Jack’s grip and moved around his waist, flipping them around. Jack’s hips hit the counter, and he pulled away from the kiss. “So, you going to return the favor?”   
  
“Mmm, in a way. Turn around, I want to eat you out,” Gabriel purred out. Jack didn’t have to be told twice, spinning in Gabriel’s arms and leaning over. He rested his forearms against the counter, sighing as a warm hand moved between his cheeks. The rough fingerpads slipped in, spreading him open and giving Gabriel access to his hole. Jack shuddered with a small gasp when that nose pushed in. Facial hair scratched his skin as that wet, warm tongue pressed in.   
  
Jack was immediately lost in pleasure as that tongue ravished his hole, Gabriel’s thumb moving in to open Jack up and allow his tongue more access. Jack’s hands formed fists against the cold surface of the counter, breath coming out fast. Gabriel’s thumb and two fingers eventually worked their way into his entrance, opening Jack up as his saliva lubed them up.  His cock kicked up some pre-cum, desperate and needy between his thighs. A moan escaped his throat when Jack felt Gabriel’s hand wrap around his cock and pump him. “Fuck fuck fuck,” Jack swore out, head hitting the counter. He could almost feel Gabriel’s smile as he opened Jack up with his tongue. “Damn it, Gabriel, just fuck me already!”   
  
Gabriel pulled away, fingers pulling out yet still keeping Jack’s ass spread open. His cock pressed against Jack’s entrance for a moment before Gabriel pushed in. Both men groaned as Gabriel seated himself inside Jack. Jack was still tight, but the feeling of the thick length spearing him open was so wonderful. All his horniness and arousal all lead up to this perfect feeling of being full. Jack turned his head to see Gabriel looking down at where he and Jack joined, captivated.   
  
“Yes?” Jack smirked, bringing Gabriel’s attention to him.   
  
“Mmm, It feels amazing. I never thought I would ever get this,” he responded before starting to move his hips. He started slow, letting Jack get accustomed before picking up the pace.  
  
Jack would have said something to the effect of ‘if you were less of a dick you would have gotten mine long ago,’ but it was lost as he was consumed by pleasure. Each thrust pushed against his prostate, lighting up his body like fireworks. Gabriel cradled his waist with one hand as his other roamed Jack’s muscles. Jack was pampered, massaged inside and out until he was practically melting against the counter. Soon he was working his hips in time with Gabriel’s, needing more. They both moaned loudly, echoing through the house, making Jack very glad that Hana wasn’t around.   
  
Gabriel’s hand made it’s way down and around to Jack’s cock once again. Taking it in hand, his thumb circled the pink head, making Jack’s breath hitch. The moans escalated until Jack couldn’t handle it anymore. Jack was sure he said something, perhaps Gabriel’s name, but was drowned out by the wave of pleasure and the resounding climax. Gabriel tumbled over the edge after him, leaning against Jack as his cock jerked inside Jack.   
  
Blissed out, they stood there, Jack entirely supporting himself on the counter and Gabriel on him. Their breathing was the only noise to permeate the silence until Gabriel cleared his throat. “Shit.”   
  
“Mhm,” was all Jack could manage.

Eventually their legs stopped feeling like jelly and Gabriel pulled himself out of Jack. He stuffed himself back into his sweatpants and shuffled with Jack to the bedroom. Jack wanted to ask if Gabriel needed to head home, but words were far too difficult as the two of them tumbled into bed. Gabriel laid atop Jack, resting his head against Jack’s pecs. “Damn, this is a cushy pillow,” he laughed wholeheartedly.   
  
Jack groaned and rubbed his face, “I have real pillows, Gabriel… Do you need to get up early?”   
  
“Nah,” Gabriel sighed happily, one eye peeking up at Jack.   
  
“What about Jesse?”   
  
“He’s self-sufficient on Sunday mornings. He usually wakes up late, eats cereal and watches cartoons.”

Jack hummed as he listened to Gabriel. “He’s a good kid.” Gabriel nodded in agreement. “Hana’s sleeping over at Ana and Wil’s… Want to go over there for breakfast with me?”   
  
“Hell yeah.”   
  
  
  


* * *

It was only slightly awkward to knock on the door with Gabriel standing behind him. Ana gave Jack that knowing look but gladly poured Gabriel a mug of coffee before calling the girls down. Both Ana and Wil knew why the two men were in a spectacular mood but they didn’t try to bring it up around the children, which Jack was incredibly grateful for.   
  
After a pleasant breakfast with a bubbly Hana, Jack waved Gabriel off and walked back into his house. He went to the living room to relax as Hana darted for the kitchen table to work on homework. Jack was relishing in peace and quiet when he heard Hana excitedly call out from the kitchen. “DADDY! Did you make cinnamon rolls?”   
  
Jack cocked an eyebrow as he sat up a bit. “No, girly. Why did you ask?”   
  
“But there’s icing on the counter!”


	10. Chapter 10

 

"Daddy? When is Jesse going to be my brother?”  
  
Over the course of a year officially dating Gabriel Reyes, Jack Morrison had gotten VERY good at fielding the inevitable questions that came out of his daughter’s mouth.  
_How come I can’t go with you and Mr. Reyes to dinner?_ Because it’s a date, sweetie.  
_Can Jesse and I go on a date?_ Absolutely not.  
_Why does Mr. Reyes keep sleeping over at our house?_ Because my bed is softer.  
_Can I sleep in your bed, too?_ No, you’re 13, you’re far too old for that, girly.  
_Well, then can I sleep over at Jesse’s?_ **Absolutely not.  
** But this one he had not prepared for.  
  
“Excuse me, what?” He looked away from the pan of fried rice to see Hana smiling innocently at the kitchen table.  
  
“I said, when is Jesse going to be my brother?”  
  
It took Jack a moment to connect the dots. His face flared up, cheeks burning. He turned back to the pan and stirred the rice, trying to breathe through the nerves, “I don’t know, girly.”  
  
“So when are you going to propose?”  
  
“We are not having this discussion.”  
  
“Bu-“  
  
“’Buts’ are for sitting, Hana.”  
  
The groan from the table meant the Dad Joke Division was a resounding success.

 

* * *

 

 

After a long night at work, Jack could expect Gabriel to be at his doorstep. It had become a usual occurrence, an incredibly comfortable arrangement. While Hana was having a sleepover next door, Jack and Gabriel had the house to themselves to do what they please (provided they cleaned up afterwards.) Some nights, however, the exhausted men would just curl up in Jack’s bed and drift to sleep in the comfort of each other’s warmth.  
  
One morning, Jack untangled himself from the sweaty sheets and heavy limbs of Gabriel to silence the alarm clock. Instead of the snooze button, Jack’s hand found a small box on the nightstand. Sitting up, he stared at the pale blue wrappings, confused for several long moments before the movement next to him pulled his attention back to Gabriel. The man sat up with a grin as he wrapped his arms around Jack’s midsection. “Happy Birthday,” he yawned, nosing at Jack’s neck.  
  
“I never told you my birthday. How did that get there?”  
  
Gabriel just laughed and pulled away, “I asked Wil. And a good magician never reveals his secrets.”  
  
Jack wanted to protest but he was also intrigued as to what Gabriel would have gotten him as a birthday present. He reached for the box and picked it up, examining the neat wrapping. “Did Amélie wrap this?” He snickered as Gabriel looked shocked, sputtering to produce a “N-No!” he popped off the neatly cut tape and pulled the box from its wrapping. When he pulled the lid off, he was greeted by a simple white mug. Pulling it from the box, he discovered the design on the ceramic walls. _#1 Dad_ . It looked exactly like the mug he used to have. It was his favorite mug and he had forgotten what happened to it for a while. But with a pause, he recalled the mug breaking when he had an anxiety attack. Jack lowered the cup and looked to Gabriel, who smiled softly back at him.  
  
“I knew that was your favorite mug. Jesse and I scoured the strip malls and tourist traps for that thing,” Gabriel touted, drawing a laugh from Jack.  
  
“Thank you,” He leaned in and kissed Gabriel’s cheek. “So does this make you #2 Dad?”  
  
“Rude,” Gabriel pouted as Jack laughed more. Jack stood and pulled his sweatpants on as he made his way to the door.  
  
“Well time to put my birthday present to use,” he called back as he heard Gabriel scrambling to pull his pants back on and follow. Jack stopped when he entered the kitchen, seeing yet another package on the counter, specifically by his coffee maker. He looked back at Gabriel, who glowed with mischief. “Another? Is this going to be a scavenger hunt? And how did-“  
  
“Like I said, a good magician,” Gabriel chuckled, raising his arms in a shrug, “and no, this is the last one, I promise.  Imagine the mug as a present from the lil cowboy and this one from me.” There was a larger grin on Gabriel’s face, so Jack assumed it must be something nicer. He walked over and examined the red gift bag, tied neatly with a white ribbon. Jack pulled the ribbon off and reached into the bag.  
  
He withdrew a black bag, and a squeeze to the bag immediately revealed the contents. Rich, dark roasted coffee beans. The puff of chocolatey caffeine made Jack’s heart flutter. Over the years, his coffee habit had boiled down to pre-ground Dunkin Donuts coffee simply out of speed and ease, but Gabriel must have noticed Jack really liked fresh ground, high quality coffee. “Gabriel,” he turned to the man, who leaned against the doorway, beaming, “thank you. This is incredible. Is this Costa Rican?”  
  
Gabriel shook his head and approached, “Mexican. Beans from the region Madre lived. She always told me about growing up and working on the plantations, collecting the fruits and drying them. Never been down there, but she always told me the coffee and chocolate was always better from Mexico.”  
  
Jack’s heart melted. He squeezed the bag a little more, air puffing out of the pin hole valve and carrying with it the warm aroma. It was a very sweet, chocolate essence, but also carried a hint of cinnamon and a little ginger, something spicy and dry.  Jack remembered the old days of his own mom bringing home bean from the farmer's market and grinding it up fresh for their morning pot. This coffee was sentimental to both men, it was truly something special. “This is incredible. I’m not sure if my old machine will do this stuff justice… I think I still have my grinder in the pantry.” He set the bag down and walked over to the pantry, shuffling through old appliances, cotton candy maker, ice cream maker, some other untitaskers Alton Brown would be ashamed of, until he found the electric grinder. After a mini inspection, Jack deemed it still clean, well kept, and working so he returned to the coffee bag and Gabriel. Plugging it into the wall socket with the coffee pot, he popped open the lid and opened the coffee bag. He was bombarded with that wonderful smell. Even before it was ground up and brewed, it filled the kitchen with its fragrance. He lifted the bag and poured some of the contents into the grinder.  
  
Gabriel seemed to freeze up beside him. Jack turned to look at him, about to say something when Gabriel stepped in, “uh, actually, let me do that!” Jack was confused by Gabriel quickly tugged the bag of coffee beans out of his hand, checking the bag with a concerned look.  
  
“Is… There something the matter, Gabriel?” Jack raised an eyebrow as he capped the coffee grinder. Gabriel reached to grab the grinder away from Jack, but Jack continued, flipping the switch to turn on the grinder.  
  
The grinder started up with a typical whirling before immediately letting out a jarring, scrapping, crunching noise. The metallic crunching only got louder and more concerning, not at all what coffee grinding is supposed to sound like. A noise died on Gabriel’s lips as Jack shut off the grinder. Jack opened the grinder and poured out the contents. Half ground coffee beans fell out alongside a very sad looking gold chunk. Scraped, dented, and misshapen, the metal clearly _used_ to be a ring.

  
Jack paused, eyes slowly turning up toward a very defeated looking Gabriel. Silence passed between them before Jack cleared his throat. “Was that… supposed to be…?” Gabriel only let out a distressed noise. Jack looked at the bag in Gabriel’s hands and back at the gnarled ring. He could suddenly see exactly what Gabriel was expecting and why he had freaked out. The ring was probably meant to be atop of beans, easy for Jack to see upon opening the back, but it had settled down into the beans just enough. And now it was no longer a ring.  “Oh…”

 

* * *

 

 After Gabriel nearly cried himself into a puddle on the floor and Jack reassuring him that it wasn’t the end of the world, Jack still made them fresh coffee, sans metal debris. Gabriel went to throw the destroyed ring in the trash, but Jack took it and kept it. And he didn’t let Gabriel leave the house before doing what he intended to do before the accident. The proposal was sweet, despite the hiccup, and Gabriel promised he would get a new ring for Jack by the end of the week.  
  
When Jack and Gabriel informed the kids at the bus stop, Hana practically tackled him to the ground with a hug, screaming loudly before jumping up and running around with Jesse.  
  
“WE’RE SIBLINGS NOW, WE’RE SIBLINGS NOW, WE’RE SIBLINGS NOW!”  
  
Jesse had the biggest grin on his face as he took Hana’s hand, “So now that we’re brother and sister, I can call your dad MY dad now! And my papi is YOUR papi!”  
  
“YESSS!”  
  
Gabriel leaned against the wall behind Jack, snickering as the children jumped around and screeched with delight. Jack wanted to correct them that they weren’t technically siblings until after the wedding, but he really didn’t have it in himself.

 

* * *

 

Over the course of a few months, Jack and Gabriel worked out their situation, with Gabriel and Jesse moving into Jack’s house before they started planning a wedding. This freed up plenty of money for Jack to quit working at the Fire in the Hole and dedicate more time to taking care of two kids. Jesse and Hana referred to moving in as “the forever sleepover.” Hana seemed to busy herself in her room for many afternoons, confusing Jack. She almost never locked herself up in there, usually too busy playing video games in the living room when she had free time. However, it didn’t take long for Jack and Gabriel to discover what she had been up to.  
  
It was Father’s Days morning and Jack was not about to wait for the kids to figure out how to make breakfast in bed for his morning coffee. Fresh ground beans were brewing in the coffee maker as Jack leaned against the counter top, phone in hand to read the news. He heard the pitter patter of feet coming from the living room and looked around the corner to see Jesse and Hana. They held boxes, which they quickly shoved behind their backs. “Dang it, he’s awake,” Hana hissed before stepping up, “DAAAD, you’re supposed to stay in bed!”  
  
“Too late,” he grinded, hearing the coffee maker click off as the dripping stopped. He took his #1 Dad mug down from the rack and filled it up.  
  
“Go back to bed!” Jesse pouted. Jack only snickered and picked out Gabriel’s black mug.  
  
“Fine fine, give me a second. Let me get your papi’s coffee and then we can pretend you two brought us coffee in bed,” he filled Gabriel’s mug with coffee and three shots of hazelnut creamer, as he preferred. Jack carried the two mugs back to the bedroom, sniggering as the two teens followed, pretending they weren’t hiding their dads’ presents. Gabriel was sitting up against the headboard, looking up from his tablet to see the little parade enter the bedroom. He graciously took his black cup from Jack before Jack scooted back into his spot next to Gabriel. “Ok, back in bed.”  He sipped his coffee before setting it down on his nightstand.  
  
Hana and Jesse approached and held out the boxes, both a bit sloppily wrapped but still endearing. “To the two best fathers,” Jesse grinned.  
  
“Happy Father’s Day!” Hana beamed as she put her gift in front of Jack and Jesse pushed the other into Gabriel’s hands. Both the men took their gifts, Jack kissing his daughter’s forehead and Gabriel murmuring a little “gracias.”  
  
Inside the wrapping and cardboard were two dark grey hoodies. When the dads lifted their hoodies up, they were greeted with the obnoxious reflection of rhinestones and sequins. Both the hoodies were bedazzled to read 두 멋진 아빠. Gabriel cocked his head as he tried to make out what it was but Jack immediately recognized the Korean, especially the last two symbols.  Hana knew Jack knew some Korean but still struggled with it while Gabriel knew nothing of the language, so before they asked, she spoke up. “Dad’s old hoodie is stained and worn out. So I wanted to make new ones. It says, ‘two cool dads.’”  
  
Jesse nodded and crossed his arms, “’cuz you’re the two coolest dads! I helped make them too! A bit…” It was difficult to sew sequins or handle fabric glue with one good arm, but he really did try. It was far more apparent on Gabriel’s, a bit of clumsy glue marks dotting the fabric before Hana stepped in and helped him apply the rhinestones.  
  
Jack grinned and pulled the hoodie over his head, “they’re perfect!” He leaned over and tugged Hana into a big hug, “couldn’t be more special coming from two perfect kids!” Hana let out a giggled little “awe.” Gabriel pulled his hijo in close, ruffling his hair and grinning like a fool. The two fathers didn’t stay in bed for much longer, opting to wear their hoodies and pajama pants around the house as the two teens attempted to make French toast and sausage. There was still a lot of work to do before they were fully and lawfully a family, but this glimpse into a complete family life had both men smiling ear to ear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Daw, how precious!  
> The previous chapter wasn't the last and this is not the last chapter. There will be an Epilogue, hopefully coming sooner rather than later! Thank you all so much for reading and commenting, it's amazing how many people have read this fic!


	11. Epilogue

The ceremony was gorgeous. It was a small venue, a beautiful orchard across town, with only a few rows of seats, but that’s all they needed. Reinhardt was Jack’s best man and Amélie stood next to Gabriel as his “best man.” Because the only three family members Gabriel and Jack had left were Jesse and Hana (who both decided they were ring bearer and flower girl) and Gabriel’s older brother Roberto, Jamison demanded he would walk Jack down the aisle and “give him away.” Needless to say, he settled for him and Mako getting front row seats.  
  
He had also offered to host the reception at Fire in the Hole, but Jack shot that down. Hana still didn’t know Jack was ever a stripper and he was content with keeping it that way.  
  
Instead, the reception was held at a local beer garden, fairy lights strung up along the top of the pagoda, the bar pouring alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages. They didn’t go for any fancy catering, but instead just delicious finger foods and BBQ.   
  
Jack and Gabriel sat at their head table, grinning like fools with their beers in hand. It was an exhausting day but they truly didn’t want it to end as friends mingled with each other and with them.  Unfortunately, even after this, their night wouldn’t be over. “Want to do a toast, just the two of us?” Jack smiled, lifting his beer glass towards Gabriel’s.

“To who?” Gabriel raised an eyebrow.

“To Ana and Reinhardt for offering to take care of Hana and Jesse for two whole weeks.”

“Here here,” Gabriel laughed and raised his glass, letting it clink with Jack’s before chugging the rest of his beer. “Truly saints for looking after two teens for free!” They had not even been planning a honeymoon, not sure of how they would plan around their kids’ lives. But when Ana found out, she practically threatened to spirit them away, herself, if they didn’t plan a honeymoon. To add to that, Ana and Reinhardt asserted that they loved looking after Hana and Jesse. Reinhardt called them ‘well behaved,’ though Gabriel and Jack heavily disagreed. But if they were offering, the newlyweds were not about to decline.

So an impromptu honeymoon to Bora Bora it was. But that did mean that shortly after the reception, Jack and Gabriel would be on their way to the airport, getting ready to embark on a very long series of flights. For now they still had an hour left of festivities.

Jack looked around, drawing the attention of Gabriel. "Something the matter?" His hand went to Jack’s shoulder, patting at the soft fabric of his suit jacket.

"Speaking of teens. Where are they?" Jack's brows knit together, scanning the small crowd for their two rascals. Gabriel also turned his head, on the lookout for his son. Just as their sudden worry was about to peak and the two fathers were ready to call a search party, Gabriel caught a glimpse of a cowboy hat and stood.

The two children had overtaken the small stage in the corner of the venue, grinning like idiots. Jesse looked to them and hollered. "POPS, DAD, GET OVER HERE!" Upon the stage sat Jesse on a stool with Jack's acoustic guitar, with Hana sitting on the edge of the stage. The parents had struggled to get both teens into formal attire for the wedding, but once the reception had begun, both of them had messed up their clean looks. Hana had stolen Jesse's jacket, draping the blucky suit jacket over her shoulders to cover up her dress, once combed hair pulled into a messy bun. Jesse, now sans jacket, was also sans tie, though only god knew where that expensive piece of silk had been abandoned, with his shirt untucked and loosened. And, of course, Jesse managed to sneak the old, ratty cowboy hat into the reception.

Getting up, Jack followed Gabriel over, both men slightly wary of the event that was about to unfold.  Hana held up a mic to her lips and began. "Hi everyone. I'm so happy we're all here, celebrating our dads finally getting married. It's been a long time coming, we all saw it coming, except them," she grinned at the laughter that earned, "and I just wanted to share with you all a little bit about our dads."

"Pops don't look happy. I know, I know, it's goin' off schedule, but we ain't gunna say anything bad about'cha!" Jesse's reassurance only earned a scowl from Gabriel, but  Jack put a hand on his back, easing him.

"Yeaaaaah, nothing bad about how he screwed up proposing to Dad!" Gabriel's cheeks went red as Hana continued, "anyways, we love our dads, they're pretty great. I don't think I could have asked for a better family, and trust me, I tried. I begged and begged and begged!" Jack rolled his eyes as all their friends hollered with laughter. Hana was only ever egged on by this kind of attention. "There's something that both of them taught us. Resilience. We keep going, keep trying, never give up. Dad never gave up on me when I was learning English, when work took a lot out of him. He kept going until he had his dream job as a full time firefighter."

"Pop's didn't quit when life got tough for us. Ho boy, and he didn't give up on me when I failed fourth grade. Did chew me out something fierce, though. But most of all, when I thought I couldn't do something, they didn't let me give up. Like Dad fer instance, I didn't think I could play guitar, couldn't be the rock star I dreamed of bein', but he showed me how to use this bum hand for something. I've been practicin' ever since."

Hana smiled at her brother and looked back to the crowd, "so we decided to play a little song for our dads."

"So anyway, here's Wonderwall."

Hana snorted at Jesse's quip. "No no no, not Wonderwall, you doof. The other one."

"Oooh, right." With a snicker, Jesse strummed an A chord. He took a breath and looked down at the guitar. His good fingers stretched along the frets as his other arm started to move. His plastic fingers were positioned to curved in a way that he could strum and pluck at the strings with each finger, beautiful notes and chords resonating from the old guitar. He played  a soft, melodic riff, pausing to let it echo into silence before strumming again. He let the riff lead into the melody of the song, boot thumping against the wood floor to a beat he had memorized.

Hana's eyes fell to her fathers as she began to sing.

_ “If you ever awake, _

_ In the mirror of a bad dream.  _

_ And for a fraction of a second, _

_ You can't remember where you are, _

_ Just open your window, _

_ And follow your memories, _

_ Upstream. _

_ To the meadow in the mountain, _

_ Where we counted every falling star.” _

Jack felt his heart caught in his throat, and something caught in his eyes. His baby girl was singing the song he always used to sing to her, his son was playing the guitar like he was made to play. Gabriel's eyes were also glistening, captured in the moment. A few of their friends swayed to the lovely music, everyone impressed by the secret talents of the two. At a table sat Hana and Jesse's friends. Hanzo seemed more occupied with a slim speck of dirt under his nail, but his little brother watched on, transfixed. At the chorus, Hana nearly winked to her father as she made a small ad lib.

_ “I'm gonna watch you shine,  _

_ Gonna watch you grow.  _

_ Gonna paint a sign,  _

_ So you always know.  _

_ As long as one and one is two,  _

_ There could never be a daughter,  _

_ Loves her father more than I love you.” _

Jack was trying not to cry, yet the tears welled up against his wishes. How on earth was he about to leave his baby girl for two weeks?

At the end of the night, Jack had to be dragged into the taxi by his brand-new husband, Jesse and Hana waving them off before hi-fiving.

"Two weeks, Jess!"

"No Dads! This is going to be sweet, Han! Hey think I could use this as an opportunity to invite Hanzo over?" Jesse looked to the brothers as they were getting ready to leave with their mother. The older brother was their friend, but there was something about him that made Jesse want to get closer, even if Hanzo was hard to please. 

Hana merely snickered. "Fat chance. Genji would probably be willing to hang out, though."

"Well yeah, but..." Jesse huffed. He had noticed how Hanzo didn't even pay attention to their performance. He thought his cool guitar skills would maybe impress Hanzo, but it didn't work. Something in him itched to prove that he was worth Hanzo’s attention. “Hey, Hana, I got something to tell you…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! Thank you all for all the comments and kudos and for coming along with me on the journey of writing this fic! And yes, I have a sequel for this! Look forward to a new slow burn "Cool Kids and Fire Hazards" in the coming months, featuring Jesse and his delinquency!  
> Anyway, special thanks to PinkRambo for betaing several chapters, to my soon-to-be-husband for encouraging my gay ass along the away, all the friends who made fanart <3, and all my friends on discord for screaming my ears off.


End file.
